I'd Rather Love and Love Well
by Mystic83
Summary: FINISHED! Sydney Bristow and Kaylee Derevko were raised separate from one another. When each one discovers the other's presence, hell breaks lose and the Rambaldi prophecy begins to be fulfilled. SV, SaOC
1. Doppelganger

Author's Note: None of the characters belong to me except for Kaylee Derevko. The situations in the Season 1 of Alias occurred, but the Season 2 has been slightly altered to fit my purposes. Irina never turned herself over to the CIA's custody, but SD-6 was still taken down. The story will follow the vague plotline of seasons 2 and 3 up until Season 3 Episode 10 "Remnants" with a few significant changes.   
  
  
  
  
Sydney Bristow woke up to her alarm blaring. Sighing to herself, she rolled over to hit the snooze button for another solid nine minutes sleep. "Why don't I just set this thing a half-hour later and get some solid sleep?" she wondered out loud to herself as she jammed a pillow over her head to block out the morning sunlight that was creeping in her window.   
  
Just as she was starting to feel that sleepy haze come on her once more, her cell phone rang obnoxiously.   
  
"Wha..." she managed to mutter after locating her cell phone in the pants she had flung on the floor the night before. She was never too neat after coming in from a mission in the wee hours of the morning, but at least she had learned over the years to create the same mess over and over again. That way, it was always easy to locate where she put things the night before.   
  
"Joey's Pizza."   
  
"Vaughn? Is that you?" Sydney asked, highly confused by the greeting she had received. It had been at least two months since SD-6 had been brought down and her double agent status had been canceled. There was no longer any need for the subterfuge the CIA used to contact her.   
  
"Yeah, Syd. It's me," Michael Vaughn said. "I don't know why I said that. Old habit, I guess. Or maybe I just wanted to hear your reaction. Then again, I could have just thrown it in for nostalgia's sake."   
  
"Very clever," Sydney said. She turned over and checked the clock at the side of her bed. "But don't you think that it would have been better if you saved the cleverness until after 8:23 in the morning? I might be amazingly witty during my 'day job' but that doesn't mean I'm witty at all hours." She paused as she tried to take in what was really happening. "Why are you calling me, Vaughn? You know I just got home from Bombay four hours ago."   
  
"We need you to come into work as soon as possible. We've hit a minor problem in our dealings with your mother. It's not a huge deal, but we just thought you'd like to know what was going on as soon as possible. Don't worry."   
  
"Sure," Sydney said softly while she heard Vaughn hang up. Her face scrunched up in concern as she looked at her phone. "What would be so important with my mother that they would rush me into work?" she mused.   
  
The CIA had been investigating Irina Derevko since she had surfaced in Sydney's life the previous year. Not many leads could be found as to why she had revealed herself to her daughter as "The Man" and then mysteriously disappeared without any explanation. Assistant Director Kendall was constantly making Sydney relive the short time her mother had her in custody so that the agency may be able to form some clue as to why Irina would want the world to know she was alive after twenty-four years of hiding.   
  
"Why would they get a lead now after a whole year of nothing?" Sydney rushed to get dressed as she realized that no matter how much Vaughn downplayed it, something enormous has transpired.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Sydney calmly walked into the briefing room at the CIA Headquarters. She didn't want Vaughn to know how much his phone call had upset and confused her. Walking past all the desks, she began to notice that people were stopping their work to stare at her when they thought her gaze was focused elsewhere. Sydney tried to piece together why everyone seemed to be in on a secret that she didn't know about as she pushed open the large glass door leading into the small conference room. She took a seat at the briefing table next to Dixon and began to look around the room at everyone who was present.   
  
Her father sat opposite her and was looking through some information on the computer screen in front of him. If Sydney weren't so familiar with him, this behavior would have seemed normal. But in all of the mission briefs and meetings she had gone through, never once did Jack Bristow fail to make eye contact with her immediately when she entered the room. "Something is definitely up," she thought.   
  
On Jack's right was Vaughn who was doing the polar opposite of Jack. His gaze was so intensely fixed on Sydney that she automatically could tell that whatever was about to happen was going to probably hurt her or shock her greatly. Vaughn's body language was never very hard to read especially when it came to matters that concerned Sydney. He had never been able to mask his concern for her.   
  
Rounding out the table was Weiss and Marshall. Marshall seemed a little nervous himself. "But then he's always nervous," Sydney thought, "but Weiss, the king of calm, is also fidgeting a lot." Director Kendall was standing at the head of the table, seemingly gathering his thoughts for the impending brief.   
  
Tired of sitting in silence, Sydney finally said, "Could you please tell me what's going on before someone hurts himself trying to avoid my eyes?"   
  
Weiss chuckled softly at Sydney's bluntness as Kendall pressed a button on the keypad in front of him. A young woman's picture appeared on the screens in front of each person. The woman was of average build with short brown hair. She was seated at a cafe in what looked to be a French city, probably Paris, talking with another woman seated across from her. A passerby's body blocked the other woman's face from identification.   
  
"Who is that?" Sydney asked, knowing that the answer couldn't be good.   
  
All the other occupants of the room began to shuffle in their seats, and no one made a move to answer her question. Sydney looked pleadingly at Vaughn, knowing that if someone was going to inform her of what was going on, it would be him.   
  
"That's your sister, Sydney." 


	2. Kaylee

Sydney looked around in horror as all of her co-workers stopped trying to avoid her eyes and began trying to gauge her reaction to the news that she had a sister.

"This can't be right," Sydney finally said after a few moments of thought. "I can't have a sister. My mother was in hiding for twenty-four years so I doubt she would have found time to get pregnant. And my father? Through all the years he spent trying to raise me, he couldn't even find time to play with me, sorry Dad, let alone form a healthy relationship with another woman. Where did you get this supposed solid intel, Director Kendall?"

"From a reliable source we have working undercover in Paris to infiltrate whatever organization Irina has set up. I'm sorry, Sydney. The woman in the photograph is your sister, and the woman she's having lunch with is your mother."

Sydney looked at her father in confusion. Now not only did she have a sister, but she also had a sister who was probably working with her mother on whatever Rambaldi plot Irina was currently planning. "Why can't my life ever be just a little bit simple?" Sydney thought to herself.

"Could you explain a little more?" Vaughn asked Kendall. He realized that Sydney wasn't her normal, rational self so someone had to help her gather all the information on this new development.

"Sure," Kendall said as he passed out folders to everyone present. "The woman in the photograph has been going by the alias Viviane Auteur, but the CIA has discovered that her real name is Kaylee Derevko." As Kendall said her real name, the photograph on the screens changed to a series of surveillance video captures. In all of them, Kaylee Derevko was stealing a Rambaldi artifact from different European locations.

"If I didn't know better, I would have thought those were pictures of Sydney on her missions," Marshall babbled. "I mean, Sydney on her missions for the CIA trying to keep the artifacts away from SD-6. Not stealing them for her mother or anything. Because we all know, she would never turn on us. I mean, she's Sydney Bristow, super spy."

"Marshall," Dixon said lightly.

"Sorry."

Sydney smiled softly to herself. No matter what drastic changes occurred in her life, she could always count on Marshall to make her laugh with his incoherent babbling.

"As I was saying," Director Kendall continued, "Kaylee Derevko has been doing work not unlike what we have had you doing Sydney. She's collecting Rambaldi artifacts for some unknown use, presumably for your mother. We haven't been able to successfully tie her thefts to Irina Derevko's operations, but we do that the two are in constant contact. This could just be attributed to a regular mother-daughter visiting schedule, but I really think that Irina has her tied up in both the personal and professional life she leads."

"That's great and all," Sydney said, "but what I still want to know is how the hell do I have a sister! Can we please explain that and then we'll continue with how this fits into the U.S. government?"

"I think Sydney's a little overwhelmed right now," Jack Bristow finally spoke up for the first time. "Why don't we call this briefing to an end for now? I'll answer some of Sydney's questions and then we can move on to missions and how we'll be dealing with this new intel."

"Agreed," Director Kendall said. "I want to see everyone back in this conference room in two hours."

Sydney watched everyone slowly leave the room murmuring words of support as they passed her seat. Vaughn squeezed her shoulder sympathetically as he passed, and Sydney found the small gesture oddly comforting. Now that the room was clear, she turned to her father, "So, start explaining. Is this Kaylee Derevko my half-sister, stepsister?"

"Full sister," Jack Bristow explained. "Kaylee is twenty four years old which means the CIA have placed her birth about eight months after Irina's disappearance. When your mother staged that accident to be extracted from the United States, she must have been already pregnant with Kaylee. I'm guessing she chose to keep it a secret so that I wouldn't get more attached to her as a wife."

"Or maybe she didn't want to hurt you by adding the grief of losing a child on top of a wife," Sydney said hopefully.

Jack sent her a skeptical look and continued on with his explanation. "Your mother raised Kaylee in one of her hideouts in France. Irina told her that her father had died in a car crash outside of Marseilles when she was still in the womb. She didn't mention you at all, Sydney. I'm sorry."

"No big deal," Sydney said with a smirk. "I mean, why should the sister I never knew about know about me? It makes sense."

"We're still not sure of how much involvement she really has in Irina's organization. It's obvious she's stealing Rambaldi artifacts for some purpose, but we can't pinpoint it. No agent has managed to get any intel on when she transfers the artifacts over to another party, and there has definitely not been any visual proof." Jack paused in his explanation to take a good look at Sydney to determine how she was taking this new advance in the investigation of Irina Derevko. Sydney was staring hard at the computer monitors almost like she was on the verge of realizing something. "Sydney?" Jack said, hopeful that she had come up with a lead.

"She seems to have my love of wigs." Sydney turned her computer screen towards her father.

Jack realized that Sydney was right. In every picture they had, Kaylee had a different wig on, including a few that looked very similar to ones Sydney had worn on previous missions. "What do you think that means?" he asked.

"Well, it could mean two things. One, it's genetic that the Bristow children love wigs." Sydney paused to look at the skeptical look on her father's face. "No, I didn't think so either. Two, someone wants to make it look like I'm stealing Rambaldi artifacts for my own agenda. I think the only reason my mother has risked Kaylee stealing these artifacts is to make the CIA doubt my intentions for about the millionth time. We both know what happens when they think I'm involved in unofficial ops." Sydney paused to remember the countless times the CIA had strapped her down to some chair in an effort to decide whether or not she had gone double or triple agent on them.

"That would make sense," Jack admitted. "But why would your mother risk us discovering Kaylee wasn't you? She hid her from our sights for twenty-four years. There had to have been a reason for that. Why is the risk suddenly good enough to take?"

"That I don't know," Sydney admitted. "But I think that we might want to bump up the reassembling time to right about now. I want to meet this Kaylee."


	3. The Woman in the Prophecy

That very same morning, Kaylee Derevko woke up to the sounds of the latest hit French pop song. Growling to herself, she hit the snooze button and rolled over. Sadly, her sleep was interrupted rather quickly by the double doors leading into her bedroom in Irina's chateau bursting open.

"This had better be good. What?" she growled grumpily from under the protection of her bed covers.

"Darling, is that any way to great your mother?" Irina Derevko asked her daughter as she entered the room.

Kaylee popped out from underneath the covers with an astonished look on her face. "Mother, when did you get home?"

"Just a few hours ago. I had to debrief some of my agents on the success of our mission, but as soon as I was done, I came right up here." Irina took a seat on the bed and leaned her head on the headboard. "I have to say that I'm thoroughly exhausted."

Kaylee turned over to stare at her mother's worn appearance. "What happened to your arm?" she asked as she noticed the bandage.

"Oh, one of the guards had a knife hidden. Mizler's team seemed to miss that one when they were taking the guards' weapons away. Don't worry, honey. I had a talk with Agent Mizler, and it's all worked out now."

Abruptly, Kaylee changed the subject as she glanced at the clock. She never really liked to talk about what her mother meant by 'all worked out'. "Why are you here so early? You never wake me up before eight."

"Well, my main business associate is flying into the country today, and I wanted you to be up and ready to meet him."

"Really?" Kaylee asked. Her mother always seemed to try her hardest to keep her personal side, a.k.a. Kaylee, out of her professional side. "Does that mean you'll finally tell me why I've been stealing these Rambaldi artifacts for you? Because it's been months since I started and I still haven't gotten anything close to a proper explanation."

"I'll give you one right now. Rambaldi has become infamous in the past year and a half for a certain prophecy he proclaimed. It appears that on page 47 of a particular document he created, he claims there will be a woman who will possess three certain abnormalities in her genetic structure. This woman will fulfill all points of Rambaldi's prophecy and render the greatest power unto utter desolation. The CIA and Interpol have been scrambling to discover the identity of this woman so she can be subdued."

"Is it Sydney?" Kaylee asked. She still didn't understand why her mother was having her impersonate this American spy while she stole the Rambaldi artifacts.

"No, it isn't," Irina said with a chuckle. "The U.S. government thought for a long while that it was her, and she went through some horrible tests. Then, when they realized it couldn't be her, they switched the focus onto me."

"Okay, hold on." Kaylee thrust her hands up in the air to halt her mother's talking. "I'm already confused. First, how did they figure out so easily that Sydney wasn't the one? If they were willing to put her through such harsh testing, they had to have been completely sure the woman wasn't her to stop them."

"Well, the woman the prophecy speaks of has never seen Mount Subasio in Italy. Sydney escaped her own government's custody and made it to Subasio. So, that disqualified her as the woman. If she was, there was no way she would have ever successfully completed her journey to Italy."

"Oh." Kaylee said, even more confused. "My second question is why did they switch the focus onto you? I mean, the prophecy you said spoke of genetic qualities. There's no way some American spy can have that close a genetic structure as you. You've only ever been in America for days, at the most one week. "

"Actually, there is a way." Irina paused knowing there was no way around telling Kaylee the truth she had hidden from her for so long. "Sydney Bristow isn't just some anonymous American spy, Kaylee. She's your sister."

"What?" Kaylee screamed, practically waking up the whole house. "My sister? I have a sister that you never told me about?"

"Yes, dear. Settle down and I'll explain it all to you." Irina took a pause to collect her thoughts. "You remember how I told you that the U.S. government forced me to leave the country after your father's death?"

"Yes, they thought that you had caused the accident that took his life because of your previous involvement with the K.G.B."

"Well, there are a few things about that story that aren't completely true. Your father wasn't the one who got into a car accident. It was me. Your father worked for the CIA, and his superiors were constantly pressuring him to bring me in for testing once they found out my past connection to the K.G.B. They wanted to be sure that the K.G.B. had no more influence on me. I loved Jack Bristow, but I couldn't take the constant pressure by him and by his government. I staged a car accident so that I could escape the country and that life. About that time, I realized that I was pregnant with you."

"So my father's alive somewhere out there AND I have a sister I never knew about?"

"Yes. Sydney was the first child I had with Jack Bristow. She was six when I disappeared. I kept close tabs on her and Jack all of my life. They're my family, but I was forced to leave them because the work I'm doing is more important than anything, even my own life. Sydney grew up to follow in both her parents' footsteps, though she didn't know it at the time. She became an agent with SD-6. You remember me telling you about SD-6 and Arvin Sloane?" Seeing Kaylee nod, Irina continued, "Good. When she realized that SD-6's operations weren't legit, she became a double agent for the real CIA."

Kaylee, once again, interrupted her mother. "Why have you been having me impersonate her?"

"For the simple reason that I decided it was time she and Jack realized you existed. I knew that if I just came out and told them, there was no way they'd believe it was true. Instead, I set it up so that they can believe it was their own discovery. That will make it easier on you."

"Easier on me?" Kaylee was confused for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Sydney will come looking for you almost immediately after she hears of your existence."

"Oh."

"Are you ready for me to finish explaining about Rambaldi's prophecy and how we fit into it? Or do you still want some more family background?"

"Yes, mother. Please continue with the Rambaldi prophecy." Kaylee realized her mother was being to grow impatient of her questions.

"Good. The CIA switched their focus onto me and my activities as soon as Sydney told them of our meeting in Taipei. However, I was missing one of the genetic anomalies, but the CIA wasn't clever enough to pick up on that right away."

"So, the woman in the prophecy wasn't you either. That only leaves..." Kaylee's voice trailed off as she realized what her mother was telling her.

"The woman in the prophecy is not me or your sister, Kaylee. It's you."


	4. Mistaken Identity

"Well, that makes sense," Kaylee said rather nonchalantly. "I mean, at least now I finally know why you would never let me go to Italy."

"Couldn't have you wrecking a centuries old prophecy just because you wanted to go on a little vacation." Irina softly chuckled. She should have known that Kaylee wouldn't take the news that badly. Unlike Sydney, Irina had been present to raise Kaylee right. Like Sydney, she had turned out a strong, independent woman who could handle anything that life seemed to through at her. Unlike Sydney, she always seemed to take things at face value and not let them affect her too much. "I'm proud of you."

"Well, gee, thanks, mom." Kaylee got out of bed and began getting dressed. "Enough about this prophecy mumbo jumbo. Who's this business associate I'm meeting? I've never known you to keep associates so close that they're allowed to see your home base, so to speak."

"This one is quite special, Kaylee. He's the only one I've trusted with my full identity. I think you'll get along with him quite nicely." Irina stood up and, with a smile, left as abruptly as she came.

Kaylee thought of how momentous this day might turn out to be. "Mother's finally letting me in on the 'family business'," she thought out loud. "This is huge." Grabbing a towel, she rushed to the bathroom adjoining her room to take a quick shower.

After jumping around the bathroom a little in excitement, she finally got herself in the shower. Kaylee wrapped her favorite burgundy towel around herself and rushed out into the hall to tell one of the servants that she would need more towels by the next day.

"Excuse me--" started a strong voice, but Kaylee couldn't tell who it was before she ended up in a heap on the floor. Looking up, she took in the man who had spoken.

The man definitely looked like he had been traveling for a long time. His blond hair was slightly messed up, and his bright blue eyes had large bags underneath them. He had a lean, muscular build to his body and was fairly young looking. "But he makes up for that with style," she thought, knowing that she was rather obviously giving him the once over and then some. Even though the rest of this stranger looked disheveled, his clothing was flawless. He was wearing crisp black pants with a white Oxford shirt rolled up at the elbow and with the top few buttons undone. Kaylee couldn't help but admire that this man had obviously spent a lot of time outdoors to get such a nice tan.

"Um, hello," he said looking down at the position she had claimed on the floor.

"Hi. I'm sorry. I was just looking for... a..." Kaylee paused when she realized the man's smirk had turned into an all-out gaze of confusion. "What's the matter?"

"Sydney?" the man asked. "What the hell are you doing here?"

'How does he know Sydney if I barely knew about her?" Kaylee thought. She suddenly realized that this man must be her mother's mystery business partner, and obviously he had some previous contact with her newly discovered sister. Before she had a chance to correct the man, he was dragging her back into the room from which she came.

"Get dressed, Sydney," he demanded. "And while you're getting dressed, you can explain to me when you started working with your mother. And why the hell you're in France. And why you haven't bit my head off yet. It's not like you to be so civilized."

Kaylee figured that he was right about one thing. She really did need to get dressed if she was to handle this situation properly. "I'll save telling him who I really am 'til later," she thought.

"Stay right there, would you? I won't be that long," she smiled as she went towards the bathroom. Thinking twice about what a spunky American spy would say, she turned at the door, "And don't think I'm doing this because you told me to." To add emphasis, she slammed the door a little too loudly.

Kaylee rested her body against the closed door and finally allowed herself a small smirk. "Too bad my mom's around and I'll have to tell him I'm not Sydney. This could have been fun for a little while."

Meanwhile, Sark found himself alone in a room that had obviously been lived in for quite a long time. He couldn't figure out what Sydney Bristow, the great CIA spy, was doing in her mother's chateau. "I hadn't even heard she left the United States," he mused to himself. "What does Irina have planned that would involve Sydney?"

Sark began to examine the room a little closer, hoping to pick up a clue or two about what was going on. Everything looked to be in order until he reached the desk. Proudly displayed all over the whole desk were numerous framed photos of Sydney and Irina. It looked as though Irina had been around as Sydney was growing up because there were photos of the two all the way from when Sydney was a young child to her college graduation.

"Impossible," Sark said to himself. "Irina couldn't have hidden the fact that Sydney existed all those years from me. There's no way."

"No way what?" came a voice from behind Sark.

Kaylee had been watching Sark look over the contents of her desk for the past few minutes. She knew she should have interrupted his search as soon as she had finished dressing, but she just couldn't stop herself from spending a few moments admiring this man who held such a high regard in her mother's eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" Sark said, his trademark smirk no longer present. He paused a moment and took a more detailed look at the woman in front of him. "You're... not Sydney, are you?" The smirk had returned.

"No, I'm not, Sydney. Sorry for not telling you sooner, but I chose putting clothes on over explaining the whole situation to you immediately."

"I would say not a bad decision, but I don't think I really would have minded if you had put off the whole clothing thing." Sark helped himself to a seat on her bed. "So, explanation, please?"

"My name is Kaylee Derevko. I'm Irina's daughter. I'm surprised you didn't know of my existence if you truly worked as close with my mother as she implied." Kaylee sat down across from him on the bed.

"I'm surprised I didn't know of you either. Seems that you've been a significant part of Irina's life since you've been born." Sark paused a moment in thought. "Can I assume that your father is also Jack Bristow? I can't imagine any other father could produce a daughter that looks so similar to a girl who is only her half-sister."

"You're right. Jack Bristow is my father, and Sydney is my sister. Though I have to admit, like you, I just found out about that today. Irina obviously knew you'd spill the beans."

"She does know me well," Sark said as he stood up again. This girl was looking at him a little too intensely for his liking. It was rather disconcerting to see a face that resembles your enemy so well looking at you so civilly.

"I hope you don't think I'm impolite, but can I ask you," Kaylee posed a moment to add a little dramatic flare to her question, "who the hell are you?"

Sark chuckled at this young woman's spunk, a quality he so often admired in her sister. "You can call me Sark. Like you've already guessed, I am the close business associate your mother has flown in. I guess you could call me her right hand man."

"Nice to meet you... Sark," Kaylee said, not sure if she believed this man actually wanted her to call him Sark.

"She had me fly in because she said she had just finished developments on a new secret weapon that could help tip the scales in our favor." Thinking about the information he had just divulged, he stopped himself from going further.

"I wouldn't censor yourself if I were you, Sark," a voice called out from the doorway. "We Derevkos don't like it when people try to withhold information."

"Irina," Sark immediately rushed over to greet his employer. "It's good to see you're doing well."

"The same to you, the same to you." Irina took in the situation. "I see you've met my little Kaylee."

"If you want to call twenty-four little..." Kaylee mutter.

Her mother looked adoringly over at her and then back up at Sark. "You don't have to worry about censoring yourself around her. She probably knows more about this operation than you do. Though I do have to admit, I've kept your presence a secret. Can I see you outside for a moment, Sark?"

"Of course," Sark answered. "It was very nice to meet you, Kaylee. I'm sure we'll be running into one another again."

"One can only hope," Kaylee said just loud enough for Sark to hear.

Outside of Kaylee's bedroom, Irina noticed that Sark had slightly paled. "What's the matter, Sark?" she asked bluntly.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," Sark said. "Yet."

"Okay. If you're sure?" Sark nodded, and Irina began to lead him down the hallway to one of her many sitting rooms. "Let's get down to business. I called you here because of a secret weapon I've found."

"Yes. You said it was the key to the prophecy. I have to admit I can not figure out what it could be."

"Not what, Sark. Who."

Sark just looked at Irina in puzzlement. It had never occurred to him that a person could be the key to finally figuring out what Rambaldi's prophecy was proclaiming.

Irina realized that Sark may be running a little on overload and decided to help him along a little. "I've found the woman the prophecy talks of at last. Funny to realize that she's been under my nose all this time."

"Kaylee..." Sark whispered.


	5. PreMission Downtime

Sydney couldn't believe it had all been set up so easily. The CIA had created a pattern for the heists Kaylee had previously made, and with it they were able to deduce her next objective. As quick as a blink of an eye, Sydney found herself scheduled to leave on a plane to Brighton, England where another extremely valuable Rambaldi artifact was hidden. All she had to do was say goodbye to Francie and Will then she was off to the airport to meet the sister she never knew she had.

Lucky for Sydney, Francie and Will had told her a few days ago that they planned to eat lunch at Malarkey's Tavern which was right across the street from Francie's restaurant. According to Francie, "my food may be the best in the world, but sometimes even I get tired of it." Sydney found herself chuckling softly at the comment as she pushed hard on the solid wood front door of the restaurant. She heard her name as soon as she set foot inside the tavern and immediately located her best friends seated at one of the back booths.

"Hey, guys!"

"What are you doing here, Syd?" Will asked her as soon as she got her jacket off.

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I have to leave on yet another business trip today."

Predictable as always, Francie commented, "But you're always going on these trips."

"I know. And I realize I say this every time but this trip's really important. There's a client I've really been waiting to get a meeting with, and the bank's finally set it up."

"Really?" Francie replied. "Looks like you're not the only one whose wishes are being granted." Francie made slight head motions towards Will.

"What is going on?" Sydney said. She was happy that her time with Francie and Will would be casual like always. She liked having people to talk to who she could guarantee wouldn't add to the problems she was facing in her life.

"Well, our little Will over here has finally scored a big date with his boss's daughter. Only don't tell the boss."

"Will! You didn't! Haven't you been lusting after that girl for two months now?"

"I'm proud to say that yes I have, and the lusting finally paid off."

"Well, it's good to see you out there in the world dating," Sydney commented. She was constantly worried about Will and the fact that he hadn't formed a solid relationship with another woman since that whole fiasco where they kissed.

"Yeah, we were afraid that you're little run in with Syd had scarred you for life," Francie said as if she had read exactly what Sydney was thinking.

"Francie!" Syd screamed. "That was blunt!"

"No, I deserved it," Will admitted. "I mean, didn't we all think for a while there that my whole life would be spent pinning after the great Sydney Bristow?"

"Oh, shut up!" Sydney playfully slapped Will's arm.

"Why oh why can't you have a sister, Sydney? Then this entire debate wouldn't be going on. I could finally live my dream of spending the rest of my life with a Bristow woman," Will continued to tease.

Sydney tried to smile without giving too much away. 'If Will only knew how close his dream was to reality,' she thought. Pushing all notions of her sister out of her mind, Sydney threw her heart and soul into relaxing with her two best friends before she tried to turn her life upside down one more time.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Kaylee couldn't help but eavesdrop at the door while her mother told Sark about the different missions she had sent Kaylee on. It seemed that these missions had another purpose other than letting Sydney, Jack, and the CIA learn of her existence. Her mother was testing her to see if she would be field ready to do what would eventually need to be done. Frustratingly, her mother and Sark never went into detail about what exactly she was being prepared to do.

Hearing Irina and Sark begin to finish up their business talk, Kaylee raced halfway down the hallway and then turned around to walk back towards where she had been hiding. When the two associates had exited the meeting room, the only thing they saw was Kaylee walking down the hall toward them.

"Couldn't wait to see me again," Sark said to immediately return to the teasing-like conversation they had begun earlier.  


"Actually, no," Kaylee said. She had decided her mother probably wouldn't be happy if she continued to flirt with her right hand man. "I just wanted to be a part of whatever business was going on. I know I'm a huge part of what's going to happen next. I want to be involved."

"And you will be," Irina agreed. "Starting tonight, I want you and Sark to go recover a Rambaldi artifact we've located in the south of England. It should be a relatively easy assignment with little to no problem."

"Then, why send both of us?" Kaylee said, quick to point out the oddness of the plan.

"Well, I think you two should get to know each other a little more," Irina said rather shadily. "I think Rambaldi would have like that."

Once again, Irina left the area with a flourish. "I really hate when she does that," Kaylee muttered.

"At least I know I'm not the only one she likes to leave half confused and wishing she had explained herself a little more," Sark said honestly. "So, kid, I guess it's just you and me for a while."

"If you want to call twenty-four-year-olds kids, sure," Kaylee said hoping Sark would pick up on the fact that she was listening to his conversation with her mother.

"No, you're right. You're no kid." Sark gave her a smirk and walked off down the hall. When he was almost out of sight, he turned around and called. "I see you on the plane, kid!"

"Did he not just listen to what I said?" Kaylee muttered as she returned once again to her bedroom.


	6. The Better Sister

Brighton, England was the site of a Royal Pavilion designed by King Henry IV as a seaside fantasy palace. The architecture was a surprising mix of an Indian influenced exterior with an Oriental influence interior. It had always been one of Sydney's favorite places to stop when there was call for her to travel across the channel from England to France or vice versa. She was surprised to find that a Rambaldi artifact was hidden inside the Music Room of the Royal Pavilion. True to the CIA's normal accuracy, Sydney found the artifact almost immediately after she entered the Pavilion after hours. Secured tight against the mantel of the fireplace in the Music Room was a small disc of glass similar to the one Sydney fought with Anna over in Malaga, Spain.

Sydney quickly stored the glass disc in her satchel since she had begun to hear movement outside the Music Room entrance. She swiftly hid behind one of the large armchairs in the room and prepared herself to see what she could only assume would be a mirror image of herself.

She was not disappointed. Irina had indeed sent her little sister on a mission to recover this artifact. Sydney waited until Kaylee had reached the mantelpiece before stepping out from her hiding spot.

"Looking for this?"

Kaylee was surprised to hear someone else in the room. Her mother had assured her that the guards had been paid off to keep this room clear for the whole night. She was even more shocked to realize that her companion was none other than her sister, Sydney.

"Nice wig," Sydney remarked. "Didn't I wear that one in ?"

"Well, isn't it the famous Sydney Bristow?" Kaylee managed to sound convincingly unamazed at this new development in the mission.

"I really wish everyone would stop calling me that. What's a spy to do when she can't go anywhere without being recognized?" Sydney flung herself onto the chair she had been hiding behind. "Do you know who I really am?"

"Do you know who I really am?" Kaylee asked.

"I take that as a yes. Listen. I didn't come here for the artifact really. In fact, this artifact is near to worthless to you. The disc can't be properly implemented without the Rambaldi clock device which happens to be in CIA custody. Which begs the question why did Mom send you here to get it if it wasn't useful?"

Kaylee sat herself down on the floor where she was standing. "I can only assume it was because she knew you were going to intercept me. Mom never designs a mission that doesn't have some purpose."

"Let's cut the mission crap for a little bit," Sydney said bluntly. "How long have you know I've existed?"

"Counting today? About 30 hours. I would ask you the same question, but my extensive knowledge of you tells me that if you had known about me before we already would have met."

"Been doing your research, I see. Or has Irina just been feeding you information on me? Do you really know whom you're working for?"

Kaylee chuckled to herself. Who would have thought that her main nemesis in the spy world would be her own sister? "I know exactly who I'm working for. Wouldn't it have been easy for you if I didn't know how 'evil' Mom was? If I wasn't aware that she had fooled you and our father into thinking she really cared for you in her life as Laura Bristow?"

"Yeah, that probably would have been nice," Sydney admitted. "I take it you don't feel like coming with me to have a little chat with the American government."

"I don't think I have time to go through that today. Maybe you can call Mom up and schedule an appointment with her when I'm not so busy." Kaylee paused to stand up and brace herself. "I think we've moved past the witty repertoire section of our first meeting. Can we move on to the part where I show you that your little sister is twice as good as you at this spying thing?"

Sydney laughed realizing that like all sisters they were about to have their first sibling brawl. "Even though I've told you that this disc is worthless, you still want to fight me for it?"

"Mom wants it for a reason. I don't like to disappoint her."

"Okay, if we have t--" Sydney was interrupted by a foot straight to her jaw. The abruptness of the blow knocked her backward into the wall and mixed her senses up for a little bit.

"I was never one for waiting for the banter to finish to start fighting. Call me impatient," Kaylee said with a smile.

Not quick enough to block the next punch Kaylee sent her way, Sydney did manage to pull it together in time to properly shield herself and deflect most of the blow.

Sydney picked up the metal barrier pole that was protecting one of the Pavilion's artworks and chucked it towards Kaylee. She knew that it was too heavy and slow to do any damage, but it would buy her a few precious seconds to recover.

Kaylee dodged the pole with ease but soon realized that in concentrating on the pole she had lost her focus on Sydney. Before she knew it, she took a kick in the stomach and an uppercut to the face.

"Jesus, you pack a punch, sis," Kaylee remarked rubbing her aching jaw. "Too bad it doesn't seem like you can take one." Kaylee cracked her knuckles and back and launched herself towards Sydney.

Sydney caught her in mid-air and threw her towards the same section of wall she had previously impacted. Kaylee managed to twist herself in air and allow most of the impact to be absorbed by her back. She quickly stood up and ran towards the escaping Sydney. Tackling her from behind, Kaylee rammed Sydney's face into the ground. Before she could recover, she found Kaylee sitting on top of her pinning her arms beneath her.

"Hope that didn't do too much permanent damage. I know how pretty our face is." Kaylee reached into Sydney's bag and took the glass disc. "Thanks, sis. You make this job fun!"

With a quick kiss on Sydney's forehead and a wink, she was running to the window on the other side of the room. It was all Sydney could to stand up and hobble to the window to watch her sister escape. She was coherent enough to recognize the man who was driving the car her sister had gotten into.

"What the hell is Sark doing in all of this?" Sydney muttered. Sighing to herself, she reached into her bag and drew out a large makeup compact the size of a certain glass disc. "Well, little sis, you might have beaten me in the fighting department, but you have so much to learn about what it takes to be a spy."


	7. Reprimands

"What the hell was that about?" Sark finally asked as he swerved through the lanes of traffic on their way back to London and Heathrow Airport.

Kaylee stared at Sark in surprise. She really would have guessed that if her mother had known Sydney was going to intercept her on this mission that Sark would have been the first one to be clued in. "Guess he's not as big a player in her organization as I originally thought," she mused. But then as an afterthought, she muttered, "Or she had a reason behind it."

"Behind what?" Sark asked.

"Oh. Did I say that out loud?" Kaylee said rather sheepishly. "I was just thinking about Irina and her organization. She always is ten steps ahead of every single other person involved. I was just wondering how ahead she was in terms of what went on tonight."

"Okay. You're speaking in code right now. A little explanation please." Sark gunned the engine as he took the first exit ramp he could find off the road they had been driving on for the past twenty minutes.

"Sydney was there," Kaylee said simply.

"It all makes sense," Sark said as he put two and two together and actually got four. Very few things were as easy to understand in his line of work. Thankfully, Irina usually was pretty cut and dry when it came to matters that involved Sydney or Jack Bristow.

"We had a fight," she continued to explain with a grin.

Sark chuckled to himself a little and sent her a trademark smirk. "Kicked her ass, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"I would know that grin anywhere. Wore it a few times myself. It screams I outsmarted Sydney Bristow, which isn't something just anyone can do." Sark paused a moment. "Come to think of it. It took me quite a lot of time before I figured out the way to outsmart. Humor me for a moment. I know you've been studying Sydney and what makes her tick for a while now per Irina's instructions. But, honestly, Sydney is a lot smarter in person than on paper. Are you sure you got the best of her?"

"What the hell are you trying to say, Sark?" Kaylee yelled, immediately on the defensive. "I am not a moron. I am capable of outsmarting someone be it Sydney Bristow or the whole fucking CIA. I'm a Derevko, and in my mind that means something."

Since the roads were pretty much deserted at four o'clock in the morning, Sark did a quick veer off the road and tail spun the car ninety degrees. He quickly turned off the car, grabbed the keys out of the ignition, and stepped outside. Kaylee, fired up by his comments, wasn't far behind.

"I know you think you're some hotshot driver, but what the hell was that?" Kaylee screamed.

"We needed to pull over," Sark stated simply.

Kaylee groaned. This man was infuriating the way he never gave up more information than he wanted. "He never fully clues me in to what he's thinking. He always has that smug fucking grin on his face. And why the hell is he just leaning on the hood of his Jag smirking at me?" she thought. She stayed silent figuring that he had to start explaining what was going on eventually.

"Let me see the Rambaldi disc you stole," Sark demanded.

Kaylee dug the disk out of the bottom of her bag and carefully unwrapped it. Smiling at herself at the thought of how she outsmarted Sydney at her own game, she handed the disc over to Sark. He took one look at it and flung the disc into the woods behind them.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Kaylee demanded as she watched her mission objective hit the ground with a crash.

"It wasn't real," Sark stated. "Irina would rather you come back with nothing than return with a glass circle that could be purchased at the nearest hardware store."

"What the hell are you talking about? I took that disc right out of Sydney's bag. It was the only one there so she obviously didn't make a switch. Irina's going to kill you when she finds out you just broke a Rambaldi artifact."

Sark, ever the cool head, finally lost his trademark calmness. "Listen," he snarled as he pushed Kaylee up against the side of the car. "You're not playing some little child's game of keep away. This is very important work that isn't the slightest bit safe. Nothing's innocent in this world. You can't trust anyone, not even yourself. Sydney Bristow would never let you leave that place with a Rambaldi artifact. Never. That's the first lesson you need to learn if you're going to keep confronting her. That woman will do whatever it takes for her precious CIA... even kill. You need to accept the fact that you can't outsmart her no matter how hard you try. She's the best there is at what she does." Sark eased up his grip on Kaylee a little although he still held her against the car. "You're good, Kaylee. You really are. If you listen and learn from Irina and I, in no time at all you will be better than Sydney ever was. But you need to learn where your weaknesses are. As I see it now, one of your weaknesses is your sister. You just don't know her well enough to defeat her."

"And I'm guessing that you do," Kaylee said.

"No, I don't. The only person in this world that I truly believe can get the better of Sydney is her mother." Sark let go of Kaylee completely and walked around to the driver's side of the car. "Get in. We need to get back to France so Irina can tell you what this whole mission was really about because I'm betting it had nothing to do with Rambaldi and everything to do with you and Sydney."

Kaylee sent a look of death in Sark's direction but reluctantly sat down in the car. It was going to be a long plane ride home if Sark was going to keep treating her like a rookie. She kept herself sane the rest of the car ride to the airport by thinking of how many ways she could kill Sark using just what was within her arm span.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Half an hour later, Sark was ushering Kaylee through the airport into one of the private terminals where Irina's personal jet was ready and waiting to take off. The two were trying very hard to pull off the charade of being a newly wed couple returning to France from their honeymoon in London. Normally an easy assignment, it was turning out particularly hard since Kaylee was so pissed off at Sark for the reprimanding she received.

Safely seated on the plane a few minutes later, she finally decided it was time to tell him what had been on her mind for the past forty-five minutes. Kaylee walked over to the leather coach Sark had positioned himself in. He had pulled out a laptop and a few manila folders, seemingly prepared to spread out and start working without speaking a word to his travel companion.

"Can I talk with you?" she started politely. She figured she might as well start out nice since the majority of the conversation would be rather heated.

"Yeah," Sark said with an eyebrow raised slightly in curiosity. In his experience, nothing good could come out of a woman who was trying to be overly nice to you.

"I just had a few things I wanted to get off my chest," Kaylee said as she continued the pretense of being nice. She moved a few of the files over and took a seat on the coach. "I just wanted you to know I'm not some little rookie on their first day on the job. I'm a Derevko. Like I said before, that means something. And not just to me, but to the whole little spy world we live in. You don't know me well enough to criticize me. Hell, you didn't even bother to ask me what really went on in the Royal Pavilion. What I'm trying to say is I grew up as my mother's daughter. She taught me how to think and how to react. If there's anyone on this planet that can guess what Irina Derevko is thinking, it's me. And I can tell you right now that you were right. The Rambaldi disc really had nothing to do with this mission. Irina wanted me to go in there and prove my greenness. She wanted Sydney to think that I wasn't that good at the whole spy thing. She wanted Sydney to see me as just a little sister who was trying her hardest to make her mother proud by being better than her sister is. And I think I succeeded." Kaylee paused to try to read what Sark was thinking, but like always his face showed no reaction. "Anyway, my mother trained me right. The real glass disc, which probably isn't the actual one taken from the Pavilion, is sitting in the left pocket of my coat over there. I'm sure Sydney has the official one, but like I said earlier the disc never mattered in the least."

Sark actually allowed himself a smile.

"What?" Kaylee asked, wondering what she had said that would actually have made him happy.

"You are a Derevko. That's for sure."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you."

Sark closed his laptop and gathered up his files. He pushed them all into the bag he had originally got them from and turned to give Kaylee the once over. After much thought, he leaned over and whispered to her, "I'd really like to know more about this Derevko."


	8. Vacation

Sydney strutted into CIA headquarters with a particularly pleasant swagger. She felt great knowing that her sister was probably being cursed at by Sark and mopping about the loss of the Rambaldi artifact disc to her sister. "She deserves it," Sydney thought with a swagger. "No spy should ever assume they are better than their opponent. It could get them killed."

"Hey, Syd," called a voice from behind one of the desks she passed.

"Weiss!" Sydney called. She hadn't really talked to her friend since she had found out the news about the appearance of her little sister. She took a seat on the only clean corner of his desk. "How are you?" 

"That's not the question. I think the question is how are you? Everything go okay in Brighton?" he asked.

"Everything went perfectly. Kaylee Derevko was there just like our intel said she would be. I got to talk to her a little about it before..."

"Before what?" Weiss asked.

"Before she kicked my ass, actually. It seems like my mother hasn't neglected her education in terms of fighting. She was definitely more advanced than I am."

"That explains the bruises," Weiss said. "You obviously are slipping on your cover-up skills."

"Maybe you can give me a refresher course," Sydney said with a laugh. She stood up and began to leave Weiss's work are. "I'll see you later. Briefing in one hour, right?"

"Right," Weiss replied. He turned his attention back to his computer screen and the e-mail he had received from Kendall. He didn't have it in his heart to tell Sydney that new intel had come in confirming that the artifact in the Royal Pavilion was never really a legitimate Rambaldi. It seemed that surveillance cameras had picked up one of Irina Derevko's associates planting the artifact a few weeks prior to Sydney's trip. Sydney wouldn't have been too happy to find out that Derevko had ulterior motives to setting up a meeting between her two daughters.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Sydney walked into the mission debriefing with a smile on her face, though it didn't last very long. Once again she was greeted with the familiar sight of no one wanting to make eye contact with her.

"All right. Let's not draw this out. What has gone wrong now?" Sydney said. No matter what they told her had happened, she was still amused by the fact she had beaten her sister at the spy game.

"Well, it turns out that the Rambaldi artifact you collected for us in England is a fake," Jack Bristow bluntly supplied.

"Really?" Sydney asked. She immediately became defensive. "I'm positive that there was no way Kaylee could have gotten the disc I removed from the fireplace mantel. The one I took to CIA had to be the right one."

"It was," Marshall jumped into the conversation. "You see, the disc was never an official artifact of Milo Rambaldi. Rambaldi never spoke of an artifact hidden in Brighton."

"Then why was I sent there?" Sydney muttered to herself. It was frustrating when she wasted time and energy to retrieve something that never really had a purpose. Surprisingly, it happened frequently with the CIA.

"Though the disc is useful to make a very nice dinner table centerpiece if you wanted." Marshall smiled nervously.

"Thank you, Marshall," Director Kendall said. "Sydney, one of your mother's associate broke into the Pavilion a few weeks before your mission and planted this false artifact. It appears like the true goal of Kaylee's mission was just to meet you and have a confrontation. The problem is we haven't figured out what purpose your meeting would have on Derevko's operations."

"What's the next step?" Vaughn asked. He was concerned about the fact the CIA was sending Sydney on missions that they didn't really know the true purpose of.

"To be honest," Kendall said, "the CIA hasn't come up with anything. We're hoping to gain more information on the situation before we throw Sydney back out into the field. Derevko could have set up the meeting between her two daughters for any number of reasons; none of which have been confirmed. I'll call another meeting when we have information you need to know or if we gather enough information to continue this operation with."

Kendall nodded to his employees and made a quick exit.

"Obviously, he had much more important things to do than help me figure out what is going on with my family," Sydney said since she was a trifle annoyed with the CIA's tactics and Kendall's authority. "Maybe I have a couple more siblings out there running around."

Weiss bit back a laugh and motioned for Marshall and Dixon. "I want to go over your upcoming mission Dixon. We'll see you later, Syd."

Sydney sent a small wave their way as she was left alone with her boyfriend and her father. "Now what?" she asked.

Vaughn turned to Sydney. "Honestly, I think you and Jack need to spend a little time together figuring out what exactly happened. You've both had the wool pulled over your eyes for twenty-four years, and the whole shift is going to take you some time to get used to." Vaughn pushed a folder across the table to where Sydney was sitting next to her father. "These are tickets to a CIA safe house in Miami, Florida. I figured you two might want to get away for a week or so to figure things out."

"What about Kendall?" Sydney asked.

"He approved the leave of absence," Jack stated. "I talked with him earlier, Agent Vaughn. He wanted to run the idea by me before officially approving it."

"Makes sense," Vaughn said.

"So, are we going?" Sydney said looking expectantly at her father.

"I don't see why not. Number one, we've pretty much earned a couple years worth of vacation time, and number two, the CIA doesn't have anything for us to do until they gather more information on Kaylee and how she fits into Irina's operation."

"Miami, here we come!" Sydney said with a smile.


	9. Babysitter

"Why the hell don't I set my alarm clock for the last possible moment I need to get up to get ready in time?" Kaylee screamed as she flung her pillow at the alarm. Hearing a crunch and a smash, she realized that might not have been the smartest idea she ever had. "I guess I'll have to tell Mom that I need another alarm clock. Again." She giggled thinking of her mother's face when she realized that this was Kaylee's fifteenth alarm clock that year.

Kaylee dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. After a full half-hour of just standing under the spray, she finally woke up enough to go over all the events of the day before. "Let's see. I fought my sister for the first time after learning of her existence the day before. I pissed off my mother's number one business associate and then managed to turn the whole argument around so it was all his fault. A great trick I learned from my mother. Then, after being almost one hundred percent positive that Mr. Sark would never want to speak to me again in his life, it turns out that I've intrigued him, and he wants to know how I grew up and what it was like having Irina as a mother. Strange day..."

Slipping out of the shower, Kaylee quickly threw one some sweatpants and a t-shirt. She hadn't eaten since six o'clock the previous night, and she was starving. Quickly, she stumbled down to the first floor kitchen to find her favorite morning treat: Coco Puffs.

"What is going on?" she mumbled when she realized that the Coco Puffs were not on their usual shelf.

"Looking for something?" a voice called from the table.

"God!" Kaylee screamed. "I didn't even see you. Do you usually lurk in the corners of rooms, Sark?"

"I try not to make it a habit," he said with a smile.

Kaylee realized what he was holding up at her. "Who said you could eat my Coco Puffs? And why are you eating my Coco Puffs?"

"Just because I'm an aloof British spy doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good American breakfast cereal now and again." He paused a moment. "And I didn't realize that your name was printed on the box."

"Shut up and hand over the chocolaty goodness," Kaylee said with a smile.

The two of them ate in silence. Neither one was sure what to say to the other. Finally, the entrance of her mother interrupted the quiet. She waltzed into the kitchen in her trademark way and took a seat between the two.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done," she said.

"Cut the crap, Irina," Sark said. It was a little too early in the morning for him to be playing the run around game with her. "We know that the disc Kaylee got wasn't the real one, if a real one even exists. Tell us what the real mission was last night."

Irina laughed softly. "I should have known that you two would have figured out that the mission wasn't about the disc. However, I am surprised that you two didn't come up with my true objective."

Kaylee sent a confident smile Sark's way. "What is this?" Irina asked.

"Kaylee figured it out last night," Sark admitted. "She tore my ego to bloody hell telling me about it, but she did figure it out."

"You always were a little too cocky," Irina said. "What was your theory, darling?"

"You wanted Sydney to see how inexperienced and naive I was. Lure her into a false sense of security. Let her think that my whole life revolved around proving that I'm the better daughter. Though, I honestly don't know exactly why you wanted me to do that." Kaylee looked at her mother expectantly. 

"And I don't suppose you're going to tell us," Sark said without even looking up from his bowl of Coco Puffs.

"Not a chance," Irina said. "I like to be secretive."

"So what now?" Kaylee asked. She was eager to get back into the field again. 

"There must be something in the Bristow bloodline that just compels them to want to constantly be on the move," Sark thought to himself.

"That's the thing. The CIA doesn't know where to go from here. They're going to realize that there never was a Rambaldi artifact in Brighton, and that will really throw off their investigation. Though I think I can count on Sydney or Jack to come up with a theory that's pretty close to the truth of why I set up the confrontation between my daughters. Even with that mostly accurate theory, the CIA will have nothing to go on to continue their investigation. So, I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that I really have nothing for you two to do for a while. I need to plan my next move, and that could take a while. This whole scheme is really important to me, and I need it to go off just right," Irina admitted.

"Do you want me to go back to London and check in with your London division?" Sark asked.

"No, actually I was planning on doing that. What I need you to do is slightly more demeaning," Irina said with a smile.

"What?" Sark was truly afraid of the answer.

"I need a babysitter."

"For who?" Sark said. Irina gave a nod towards Kaylee.

Sark smiled at his employer. "Come on. You can't be serious." Realizing she was serious, he wiped the grin off his face. "You have nothing better for me to do than watch over your daughter?"

"Hey! I don't need someone to watch over me. You've left me here at the chateau by myself since I was ten, mother!"

"I know," Irina said. "But that was before the CIA and the rest of the world's spy organizations learned of your existence. I don't think the CIA will take action, but I can't completely rule it out. If you get taken into custody, my whole plan is ruined. I can't take that chance. Which is why I need you, Sark, to watch over her. She's the key." Irina smiled at her associate. "And there's no one who I trust more."

"All right," Sark agreed. "I'll do it."

"Don't I have a say in it?" Kaylee asked.

"No," Sark said. "Come on and get packed. We can't stay here. The CIA will find you in no time at all if we stay in this country."

Kaylee rolled her eyes but got up out of her chair. She walked over to the sink to rinse out her dish mumbling the whole way about being twenty-four and having a babysitter. Sark couldn't help by grin.


	10. File Folders

"So, what do you want to do?" Kaylee asked as she flopped down onto the hotel room bed. Her mother had been quick to usher her and Sark onto the private plane and out of the country. Kaylee didn't understand how sending her to the country where the CIA was based would help their plan, but she'd known her mother for long enough to know she shouldn't ever doubt her.

"I just want to curl up on that bed and rest for just a minute," Sark said as he slipped his shoes off. Since he and Kaylee were trying to pose as a young vacationing couple, he had been forced to part with his beloved collection of suits. Instead, Irina had laid out a rather different outfit consisting of blue jeans, a vintage punk band t-shirt, and one of those sweatshirt wrist bands. Sark had to admit that he wasn't minding the change all that much. It was nice not being constantly oogled for one's great fashion sense.

Kaylee looked over at Sark who was now lying on his back with his eyes closed. "You don't get much time to rest, do you?" she asked honestly.

"Welcome to the life of a spy," Sark said without opening his eyes. "It's not all fun all the time."

"I'm sorry," Kaylee said as she took a seat on the bed next to Sark.

Sark popped open one eye and looked at her. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Lying down. If you get to rest, then so do I. And I don't see any other bed in the room and I'm definitely not laying on that teeny tiny couch over there so that means I'm stuck laying down here."

Frustrated, Sark opened both eyes and sat up. "Irina would kill me if she knew that I was sleeping with her daughter." Kaylee raised an eyebrow at that comment. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just, I don't know, Irina really doesn't like any of her people getting close to one another."

"And you think we're getting too close?" Kaylee whispered into Sark's ear lightly. She laughed and lay back on the bed. "She let you get closed to her, though. How did you manage that one?"

Sark smiled. "I have no idea." He pulled himself up off of the bed and looked around. "Why don't you take a nap? I'm going to go get some work down while I have the chance. We might be on vacation, but I still have lots of intel to catch up on. I'll come wake you up when it's time for dinner."

Kaylee barely had time to nod in agreement before she was falling asleep.

A couple of hours later, Sark quietly let himself back into the hotel room. He was startled to find that Kaylee was still sleeping even though he had tried to give her plenty of time to take a nap and wake up. He really didn't want to have to go through the awkwardness of trying to wake her up. The last time he had been forced to wake someone up, he ended up with a bullet in his left shoulder. "She almost looks too peaceful," he thought. "Almost." 

He lightly shook her shoulder and was surprised when he got punched in the jaw. "Ow," he mumbled from his new position on the floor. "It's always the peaceful looking ones, isn't it?"

"What happened?" Kaylee asked, still half asleep.

"I think I just got beat up by a girl," Sark said. He continued to sit on the floor and rub his jaw.

"What?" Kaylee said looking down to where he was talking from. "Why are you on the floor?"

"Because you bloody socked me!" Sark stood up rather frustrated with himself for being caught enough off guard so he wasn't able to block her punch. With little though to anything other than escaping this situation, he stormed into bathroom, and Kaylee heard the shower turn on a minute later.

"What happened?" Kaylee murmured to herself, still thoroughly confused. She finally thought that Sark and she were getting along, and then she had to go and do something stupid like hit him in her sleep. Scanning the room, she figured she should come up with something productive to do until Sark had vacated the shower. Her eyes landed on the file folders that he had been working on in the plane. "Must be important if he brought them all the way here," she said softly.

Flipping through the top one which happened to be the largest, Kaylee was surprised to realize it all contained information on Sydney. There was a detailed schedule of the different drop points she had used to get in contact with the CIA and her handler when she was still on active double agent status. A list of contacts she had formed in her personal and professional life was scribbled on what looked to be a bar napkin. Mostly, the folder contained various surveillance pictures of Sydney. A few were shots of Sydney kissing a young man in a warehouse. Kaylee was surprised to see ideas scrawled on each photo in what she could only assume to be Sark's handwriting.

"Interesting," she muttered. "Obviously he's spent more time than I observing Sydney. Was it an assignment or a personal, private hobby?" She laughed lightly to herself and opened the next folder. It contained nothing but computer printouts, as did the third and fourth folder. The final folder however was extremely interesting to Kaylee.

Unlike the first folder, it was rather thin. The subject contained in it was herself. "Must just have started this one up recently. Obviously for his own benefit because my mother would have no real need to order official reconnaissance done on me." Kaylee flipped through the pages. She realized that Sark had collected a few photos of her when she had gone on all those missions posing as Sydney. Also, he had scrawled a small profile of her on the back of a receipt.

"Very opinionated and stubborn like her mother and sister. Seems to be a little more aggressive and open than either one, though. Incredibly attractive and she knows it. Would not be against using her physical self to get the things she wants. An asset or a flaw? Don't know her real role in all of this. May just be another pawn in Irina's game. Can't even trust the fact that she really is Irina's daughter and Sydney's sister even though she looks exactly like them. What is her position in this Rambaldi mess?" Kaylee finished reading the receipt out loud.

"If there's something you wanted to know, you could have just asked," Sark said as he stepped out of the bathroom. Kaylee became startled and spilled the folders all over the floor. She bent down to start picking them pages up.

"I'm sorry. I was just wondering what you were always writing. It's kind of mysteri--" Kaylee stopped talking and trying to pick up the mess as soon as she actually turned to look at Sark.

Sark, in his rush to get in the shower and away from Kaylee, his attacker, had forgotten to take the clothes he had planned to wear to dinner in with him. So, he was forced to leave the bathroom with only a towel wrapped carelessly around his hips. He couldn't help but smirk when he realized that it was throwing Kaylee off.

"What were you saying about your blatant snooping?" he asked as he walked over to his luggage.

"Um... I can't recall right now," Kaylee whispered as she stood up. Realizing she was staring, she swiftly made a beeline for the bathroom calling over her shoulder "I hope you didn't use up all the hot water."

Sark grinned as the door slammed shut. He calmly walked over to the door and tapped lightly on it.

"What do you want?" called the voice behind the door harshly.

"Well, I just thought you might like to know where we're going to dinner. And maybe that way you can come out here and get the proper clothing to put on."

"Oh," Kaylee said as she opened the door and walked out into the bedroom. "So where are you taking me, my dear boyfriend?"

"Zeffirino. It's my favorite restaurant in this area."

"And what should I wear?" Kaylee asked. Sark had turned his attention to getting his files back in order, which slightly bugged Kaylee. 'Why does it always seem like I'm being a burden to him?' she thought.

"I don't know," he said without looking up. "Something sexy, I guess."

Kaylee grinned. He didn't even know the trouble he had just gotten himself into. Her mother always discouraged her from dressing sexy when she was at home in France. Irina said that every time she did Kaylee always managed to get into more trouble than she ever had before. And that trouble usually involved men and fast-moving cars.

After a quick shower, Kaylee hopped out and threw a towel around herself. She was disappointed to realize that Sark had already left the room. He had taken his folders, too, so she couldn't snoop around in them to find out more of his comments on her. Kaylee began riffling through the closet and the different dresses the hotel had set out for her, per her mother's phoned-in request earlier that day.

"This one," she said with a smirk. "Oh he won't know what hit him."


	11. Dancing

Sark was slightly embarrassed that he had run out of the room so quickly after he was sure Kaylee was in the shower. Something about that woman just made him a little nervous. After hanging out in the bar downstairs for an hour, he figured he had given her ample time to get ready and made his way back up to their room. He knocked softly on the door as he slid it open just in case she wasn't ready.

A voice from the bathroom shouted "Yeah, yeah. I'm almost ready. Give me five more minutes."

Sark took a seat and began to relax. It helped that he had created an occasion where the dress code required him to wear one of his suits. He had chosen his favorite, a beige suit by Arnold Brant with a light blue shirt worn with the top few buttons undone. It was his most comfortable suit and the one that fit his true personality the best. He really had no idea why he had brought it along on his babysitting job.

"I'm ready," Kaylee said as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Sark did his best not to let his jaw noticeably hit the floor. She had really pulled out all of the stops on this one. Her hair was pulled back off her neck and twisted up into a bunch at the back. The ends were gelled so that they stuck out a little giving her hair an almost modern feel. He had no idea where she had found a dress that fit her so perfectly. It was a simple strapless black dress with a diagonal cut hem. He had seen a million or more women wear a similar dress but it never looked this good.

"You like?" she asked. Kaylee held out her arms and did a little twirl.

Sark caught himself staring and answered, "It fits the restaurant."

Kaylee was slightly sad he hadn't paid her any sort of compliment since she had put so much work into creating something that would drive him wild. "I'm not going to let it bother me, though," she though. "Not in the least. Nope. No way. Not bothering me at all. Doesn't even matter." She continued to tell herself that on the whole ride over to the restaurant.

When they were seated at Zeffirino's, Sark pulled her chair out for her and whispered in her ear, "You were awfully quiet on the drive over."

"Yeah, I guess I'm just in a pensive mood," she shot back a little sharply.

"And I see you're not in a very happy or calm mood either," Sark remarked. The waiter came over and took their wine order.

Kaylee smiled at her companion and grasped the hand he had rested on the table. "Well, who wouldn't be upset when they spent so long getting ready for their boyfriend and he doesn't even comment on it?"

"What are you doing?" Sark asked as he pulled his hand away from her.

Kaylee leaned over and whispered, "We're supposed to be a couple who's dating, aren't we? It wouldn't hurt to keep up that appearance. Am I the one that's new at this or is it you?"

"Sorry. For a while there I forgot that we were even trying to keep a low profile."

"Why is that?" Kaylee asked.

"Well, you kind of threw off my thinking," Sark admitted. "Or should I say your dress threw off my thinking."

Kaylee beamed. "Finally, a compliment. You're not too good at that, are you?"

"Actually, it's one of my better talents. I just don't hand them out lightly." Sark held his glass of 1998 L'Apparita Merlot to Kaylee in a toast.

"What other talents do you have?" Kaylee asked nodding at the open dance floor.

"Are you asking me to dance with you, Ms. Derevko?"

"Maybe. But only if you can keep up."

Sark stood up and offered his hand to Kaylee who gladly took it. He led her out to the middle of floor while ignoring the whole restaurant that had turned to stare at the pair of them. "Looks like this restaurant doesn't see many people dancing," Sark whispered in Kaylee's ear as he eased his hand on her hip.

The couple lightly swayed to the soft beat played by the band. Kaylee found herself relaxing as the wine began to kick in. She was surprised when she felt herself being twirled and then pulled in rather close.

"My my, Mr. Sark. You do have a few moves, don't you?" she teased.

"You haven't seen anything yet," he purred into her ear. Kaylee tried not to show the affect his sudden seductiveness was having on her as he twirled her once more.

Sark couldn't help but get caught up in the moment a little. He was the center of attention at one of the most romantic restaurants in the area with one of the prettiest women he had ever met. "And she doesn't seem to mind the attention either," he realized as he took notice that most of the male eyes in the room were on his date. He pulled her a little closer.

"My, aren't we possessive?" Kaylee whispered.

Sark didn't answer and Kaylee notice for the first time that he was looking rather distracted.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as he dipped his face down to her shoulder.

"You smell good," he whispered back.

"Oh."

He smiled and twirled her around once more slowly. "I think we need to get off this dance floor before I lose myself in the moment a little more and forget where I am and who I'm with," Sark thought to himself. He was silently cursing himself for letting that last comment slip through his control.

The meal went back rather quickly after their little scene on the dance floor. Sark did ask her to dance a few more times as they waited for their dinner, but Kaylee discovered it wasn't so magical when there were other couples on the dance floor also. Nevertheless, she did notice that he was gripping her a little tighter each time they danced.

After paying for their meal and exiting the restaurant, Sark held the car door open for Kaylee. Smiling he slid into the driver's side and revved the engine. "I can't thank Irina enough for finding me a BMW," he said.

"Let's see what this car can do," Kaylee said with a grin.

Sark was delighted that she wasn't afraid of a little speed. He would kill himself if he let this opportunity go by without really testing the car's limits. With a small screech of glee from Kaylee, the two made their way rather rapidly back to their hotel.

When they got out of the car, Kaylee grasped Sark's hand in her. "Just keeping up appearances," she reminded him before he could pull his hand away.

"I know," he replied kissing the hand entwined in his lightly. They leisurely strolled back to their rooms making sure that at least a few people witnessed them together. However, Kaylee was surprised to realize that when they were on their floor and out of the public eye, Sark still didn't drop her hand. "Must not realize he's still holding it," she thought. "I'm not going to correct him."

Sark did finally drop her hand to open their hotel room door for her. She smiled shyly at him and quickly made her way to the bathroom to change.

Seizing the moment of privacy, Sark decided to change quickly while she was out of the room. It was easier to avoid the whole awkwardness of the situation if he could be in bed before she emerged from the bathroom. He had just gotten his suit off and was searching for a place to hand it when Kaylee reentered the room.

She hung up the black dress she had worn that night and slide right into the left side of the bed. She turned over and looked at Sark as he was checking his cell phone for messages. "I hope you aren't thinking of doing something noble like sleeping on that sad excuse for a coach," she stated.

"Never crossed my mind," he said with a smirk. "I'm too selfish for thoughts like that to even enter my head." Sark fell lightly into his half of the bed and whispered good night.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~* ~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~* ~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~* ~ ~*~ ~*~ 

A half-hour later, Kaylee still couldn't get herself to go to sleep. She hadn't had such an exciting night in a very long time. Being cooped up in a chateau in France wasn't as much fun as it sounded. It also didn't help that her mother kept constant surveillance on her for her own protection. The spy world has a habit of abducting family members to get deals made. She found herself wondering if Sark had fallen asleep yet. He hadn't moved since he had lain down. She rolled over to face him and realized that he wasn't even facing the same way as her. Her light sigh and the movement of her turning over again jostled him a little so that he rolled over and laid an arm around her.

"Hmmm... this isn't so bad," she thought as he unconsciously pulled her closer. "Not bad at all."

She looked over her shoulder at his sleeping face. "It's so cliche, but he does look so innocent when he's sleeping," she thought. Trying not to move too much, she turned over to face him. With her index finger, she traced his cheekbone lightly and was surprised when he began to nuzzle her hand lightly.

Relaxing a little, she felt herself drift off to sleep. Within minutes she was woken up by his lips gently kissing her cheek. She realized that this was probably an unconscious movement by a man who was attractive enough to have spent many a night with a woman in his arms. But she wanted to let herself think that he realized it was her he was with.

Kaylee moved her head slightly so that he was no longer kissing her cheek but was actually kissing her lips. She smiled to herself as she felt him lightly nimble on her bottom lip. His hand ran up her side to the back of head. Unable to resist, she delicately opened his mouth to deepen the kiss a little. In the moment, she drew her hand up to touch the back of his neck, and that movement woke him out of his slumber.

He smiled lazily at her. "Hi."

"Hi," she said back.

Suddenly, Sark realized where he was and who he had been kissing. He jumped back away from her and tumbled off the bed. "What the hell happened?" he found himself asking for the thousandth time since he had met Kaylee Derevko.

"You kissed me," she said simply.

"I know that." He paused for a moment. "Were you kissing me back?" he asked.

"Yes, I was. Is that so wrong?" Kaylee asked.

"On many different levels," Sark admitted.

"Why?" she asked him. She was beginning to get a little angered by his reaction to what was going on.

"Because you're just a kid," he said absentmindedly.

Kaylee sent him an icy glare and turned over. "Go to sleep, Mr. Sark," she whispered.

Sark got up off the floor and walked over to the incredibly small coach. "Looks like I'm ending up on the coach anyway. I should have known this would happen." Sark couldn't figure out what exactly had happened though, and why it mattered to him so much that he make sure there were boundaries set up between Kaylee and himself.

And why it bothered him that he knew he desperately needed boundaries if he was going to keep his mind and body off of his boss's daughter.


	12. Sydney According to Sark

"It's never fun waking up with a stiff neck and a pissed off babysitter," Kaylee thought the next morning as she realized that Sark wasn't in the hotel room anymore. She knew it was going to take all of her skill to get Sark back on speaking terms with her even though she still didn't comprehend why he was so angry.

Kaylee decided to cope with the situation the way she usually did. She turned over and tried to go back to sleep. Not surprisingly, this method worked just as well as it normally did. Not at all. She continued to stare at the blank wall she was facing and felt herself doing the next best thing to sleeping, zoning out.

She was startled to feel an arm slowly wrap itself around her waist. "Maybe Sark isn't mad at me after all," she thought. Turning she realized that the state of affairs with Sark was the least of her problems. The room was full of people in military gear, and more importantly, she was being restrained by one of those men. Not to mention the fact that every single person had a gun pointed right at her.

"Hello," she said.

"Miss Derevko, will you please come with us?"

"Who are you?" Kaylee asked as the man holding her released her so she could stand up. Taking a quick inventory of the situation, she decided to play up on the appearance of sleepiness. Yawning, she noticed that the commandoes in her room were beginning to relax their stances. "Obviously not professionals," she thought. "So this can't be the CIA or the KGB or any of the remaining Alliance cells."

Her mind was racing at a heated pace as she tried to formulate a way she could get out of this hotel room and find Sark without getting anyone killed. She quickly realized that no one had gone to inspect the bathroom and so chances were they weren't aware of the nicely placed window that would be so easy to escape through. Kaylee turned to make her move towards the bathroom when the hotel room door opened.

"Kaylee, I just wanted to apologi--" Sark said as he entered the room. Before he knew what was going on, all the guns were being pointed at him.

Kaylee didn't waste a moment. As soon as all the guns were off of her, she was off like a flash. Her plan had subtly changed, though, since Sark's reappearance. She knew that her mother would be happy if she escaped the situation, but Irina would also be equally made that Kaylee was not able to extract Sark along with herself. "I can't leave this hotel without him," she thought as she began to take out the guards.

She knocked out at least five of them before the others realized she was attacking. A call rang out somewhere behind her to open fire but she couldn't break her concentration to process what that meant. She was about to take out a sixth and seventh agent when she felt a tiny pin prick on the back of her neck. As soon as she registered the slight annoyance, she hit the ground unconscious.

"Damn," Sark thought. "This screws up Irina's plan a little." He had just received a call from his employer a half hour ago. She told him that she wanted him to leave New Orleans and get on the next flight to Miami. Something about there being a girl there Kaylee needed to talk with. He could only assume Irina wanted her to have another confrontation with Sydney. Things were definitely not working out as planned.

Sark moved towards her fallen body but only made it halfway before the guns were once more focused on him.

"I don't know who you are, but if you've done your research you know I can't leave her behind," Sark explained. "You've won this round. Let me take a look at her, and then you can usher us wherever you need us to go."

Sark walked over and took Kaylee's pulse, happy that he was right about the guns being loaded with tranquilizers and not real bullets. He wrapped his arms around Kaylee and picked her limp body up off the floor. "Where to?" he said with a smirk.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Kaylee woke up with a pounding headache and a nagging feeling that something had gone drastically wrong with her vacation. She looked around and began to take in her setting. The cell she was locked in was about the size of her closet back home. There was no furniture in it except for one bed that luckily had a fairly new mattress slung on it. "No windows," Kaylee remarked. "I guess they do know a thing or two about holding people prisoner." She noticed that the door was a very solid wood that would be a hard to break, but it would be possible. "Which makes me think that there's something reinforcing it on the other side." The door had no windows, which she actually counted as a pro. That means to get her in and out or to provide her with food the whole door had to be opened. "Easier to escape when the exit's in sight."

Kaylee stood up and began to stretch. She figured it would be nice if she was ready for them when whoever it was came. She wasn't disappointed because within minutes of her regaining consciousness, she heard footsteps coming closer to her cell door. Grounding herself solidly like her mother had taught her, she prepared to attack her visitor.

Unfortunately, it didn't really work out as she planned. She hadn't had time to properly look the place over, and she missed the fact that there appeared to be a definite line dividing the first two feet of the cell from the rest. The line was to give the prisoners a little warning of the security system.

The cell door was actually comprised of two separate doors. A steel one that opened out of the cell, and the wood one Kaylee had inspected that opened into the cell. Once the steel door was open, an electric field was activated to create a wall that sectioned the cell into two. Kaylee happened to be standing on that line when the steel door was opened. She found herself thrown back into the rear wall rather harshly as the wood door opened.

Through her blurred vision she could make out a figure being shoved into the cell, and then she heard the definite sound of two doors clicking into place and the electric field deactivating.

"God! Are you all right?" Sark asked. He put forth his hand to help her up. Kaylee shook the blurriness out of her hand and took the offered hand. 

"I'm all right, I think. I must have missed that whole security system/warning sign thing."

Sark smiled and winced slightly as he tried to help her over to the bed.

"Are _you_ okay?" Kaylee asked. "You're not looking so hot."

"Yeah, I had a meeting with our captor. Never seen the man before in my life. I don't think he's been in this business for very long."

"Tell me something I don't know," Kaylee muttered as she eased herself down to a laying position on the bed.

"Well, he didn't really enjoy the fact that I was only concerned about whether they had collected my favorite suit that was in the hotel," Sark continued. "He took out his displeasure on my face."  


Kaylee looked him over for a second. "Did you ask him if he managed to take my little black dress, too?"

"No, I was saving that one for your interrogation," Sark replied. He lay down next to Kaylee on the bed although there probably wasn't enough room for both of them. He figured that they both deserved a little rest from what they had gone through in the past few hours no matter how hard it was to obtain.

"So, what now?" Kaylee asked. "You're the pro at this. Mom told me that you've been held hostage by all the big government agencies."

"And I've escaped every time," Sark stated proudly. "I think with this one we may want to wait it out a little longer before taking our leave of them. I want to gather a little more information on this new organization."

She nodded. Her body started shaking slightly partially from the coldness in the cell and partially from the shock of being electrocuted. Risking an argument, she chose to snuggle up to Sark's side for body heat. "Do you think it's safe for us to fall asleep?" she asked honestly.

"It's safe you to fall asleep," Sark admitted as he put his arm around her. "I'm going to stay conscious in case an opportunity arises for us to make an easy escape."

Kaylee fell asleep almost instantly which did not surprise Sark in the least. She had put up a major fight in the hotel room, and then just moments earlier had been shocked rather severely. Her body needed to start its natural healing process. He was surprised to realize that he cared about if she was going to pull through this whole traumatic ordeal and he was actually trying to think of ways to keep her safe from the side effects of being interrogated. And most of it wasn't because she was Irina's daughter.

"When did I start giving a fuck about the people I work with?" Sark wondered out loud. He had always cared for Irina because she had given his life direction. There had never been anyone else he had ever worried about in his life except himself and Irina. He had actually prided himself on being so cold and unfeeling. It was a true asset in his field of work.

Sark lost track of time for a little while as he tried to sort out what had changed in him to allow Kaylee to penetrate his normal, reserved self. He had narrowed it down to a few theories, most of which included Sydney Bristow. None he could actually get himself to admit to. He was so absorbed in thinking through this predicament that he didn't notice Kaylee regaining consciousness.

She stared up at his pensive face for a minute and finally spoke. "We need to talk about what happened in the hotel room."

"I know," Sark said without making any attempt to move or even look her in the eye.

"You kissed me, and you didn't know what you were doing. I kissed you, and I did know what I was doing. Does that bother you?"

"In a way, yes," Sark answered.

Kaylee decided to be blunt. "Is it because you're in love with Sydney?"

This comment made Sark stiffen up a little, but he still didn't look Kaylee in the eye. His eyes were purposefully fixed on a point on the wall. "What makes you think I'm in love with Agent Bristow?"

"I saw the file folder you compiled on her. It was more than any assignment would have required. I could tell you took joy in compiling information on her." Kaylee paused. "You didn't answer my question."

He took a deep breath and tried to relax his body again. The two of them sat in silence for a few moments. Sark was at a loss for words for once in his life as he struggled to think of a way he could explain to her his relationship with Sydney Bristow, and Kaylee knew the conversation couldn't continue until he had answered her question.

"I figure there's no clear cut, simple way to answer you without it coming out completely wrong. So I'm just going to stumble through it and hopefully you can have enough patience to try to understand what I'm saying. Yes, I could easily be in love with your sister. It's complicated."

"Isn't it always?" Kaylee didn't know if she couldn't actually muster the patience to hear what Sark was saying. She suspected he did love her sister, but it was a brutal reality to actually hear him admit it.

"You don't know the half of it. But I hope you will when I'm done explaining. Sydney Bristow is an extremely attractive, self-assured woman. She's confident and sexy. Irina always teased me that if she was only twenty years younger, she would be my partner for life, professionally and personally. That's what Sydney is. An Irina who is my age."

"She's your equal in every way," Kaylee supplied. She shrugged herself out of Sark's arms and curled up against the wall at the end of the bed. Sark, in turn, sat up and leaned on the opposite wall by the head of the bed.

"What do you mean?" He had never considered that Sydney was his equal before, but it fit.

"Well, think about it. You're both extremely confident almost to the point of being cocky. I know you both have the same love of witty banter while you're in a life-threatening situation. I recall a comment you wrote when you were profiling me. 'Extremely attractive and she knows it' or something like that. I think it's genetic because Sydney is the same way. So are you. You know you're handsome and you're willing to use that to get ahead. Another point is Sydney grew up without a stable family life, and I can only assume from what you've told me the same is true for you. You can relate on that level and many others. Most importantly, my mother has told me about all the times you and Sydney have had confrontations. You're evenly matched in fighting skills and spying techniques. How can you not fall in love with someone who is such a perfect fit?"

"All you said is true, but I don't think what I feel for Sydney is love. I admire her on a professional and private level. That might be why I spend so much time researching her. She's intriguing to me. In the same way that you intrigue me," Sark admitted. Kaylee raised an eyebrow but let him continue. "I think if Sydney and I were fighting on the same side, I could easily form a relationship with her. I don't know if I would want to, though. There are things about her that I can't understand and I don't think I ever will. She has the capacity to empathize with almost every person she comes into contact with. I just can't fathom being that open and vulnerable."

"I think it all depends on how you're raised," Kaylee replied. "My mother raised me to the harsh realities that life will probably never be exactly as I want it. Jack Bristow allowed Sydney to practically raise herself, and in the process Sydney gave herself an eternal optimism. That's something I can never have."

"So, you see what I'm trying to tell you? Sydney would be a wonderful woman to have, but she's not for me."

"I think I do understand your point. But that only leaves me more confused about why the hell you were so upset by the fact that we kissed..." Kaylee said. She couldn't help but mumble, though, "...even though you had no idea what you were doing."

Sark realized that he wasn't going to be able to talk his way out of this situation without admitting to Kaylee what was really going on inside of him. He was about to start speaking again when Kaylee lunged toward him. She held her hand up to his mouth and motioned to the door. There was someone coming.

"I think it's time for us to break out of here," Kaylee said. She gave him a quick kiss and stood up. "We'll finish this conversation later."

He was a little put off by her casual kiss but was enormously glad to see the spark in her eyes he had seen when he picked her up from her mission in Brighton just a few days ago. A Derevko in that state was not someone you wanted to mess with.


	13. Wine and Questions

As soon as the door opened, Kaylee launched herself through the electric field as quick as she could. The shock definitely fazed her for a second, but her determination to leave this prison was fueling her to keep going. She slammed her body violently into the man who entered the cell. Before Sark registered what had happened and recognized the man had entered the cell armed, Kaylee had the man's knife to his throat and was shouting commands.

"You and I are going to go deactivate that nice little electric field. Then, I'm going to let you live. Sounds like a plan?"

Kaylee muscled the man out of the door on pure adrenaline alone. She was happy to see the control panel for the field was located right next to the door. The man moved to work the controls but didn't make it that far. She slammed his head down into the panel three times, effectively knocking him out and causing the panel to spark and lose power from the trauma caused by her blows.

The instant the field was down, Sark was running out of the cell and down the hall. He waved Kaylee to catch up with him. When she got close, he whispered, "I know the vague layout of this building. There should be a stairwell right around the next corner. The second we step into it, no verbal communication. We can't chance an echo. I think that we're in at least the first sub-basement of this building. So start taking the stairs up."

Kaylee nodded and pushed the door to the stairwell open. Normally, she wouldn't trust anyone's plan except her own, but she figured that Sark could be trusted at least to get both of them out of the building. After one flight of stairs, Sark pulled Kaylee through the exit door. They found themselves in another hallway, but this one had a window at the end of it.

"We're obviously above ground level now," Kaylee said. "Do you have a plan?"

"Just hold on to me tight," Sark yelled as he raced to the end of the hallway.

Kaylee didn't realize what he intended until it was too late to stop it. They broke through the window and started to fall to the ground. Luckily, Sark had only been one floor off and they only jumped from the second floor. Kaylee couldn't help but notice he twisted their bodies so that he landed below her and took the brunt of the impact.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, nothing painkillers can't solve. Let's get out of here before they realize what's happening."

Kaylee ran over to a Humvee that was parked across the street from the building in which they were held hostage. Taking a deep breath, she elbowed the window until it broke. She leaned over to unlock the passenger seat and motioned for Sark to get in. He was surprised to see her fiddling with wires below the steering wheel. What was more remarkable was the fact that the car started.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Sark asked as Kaylee drove hurriedly away.

"It's impossible to live in Paris and not pick up how to hot wire a car. Plus, with my mom gone on business trips all of the time, I had to do something with myself." Kaylee winked at him and picked up sunglasses that were sitting in the cup holder next to her. "Not bad. I may keep these when this is over."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

"It's nice to be home," Kaylee thought as she pulled up a driveway in the car she and Sark had rented from Charles de Gaulle airport. Her mother wouldn't be happy when she heard that their vacation had been ended a little earlier than planned. If everything had gone right, her mother should still be setting things right at the London branch and wouldn't be home for at least another week.

"We'll be safe here," Kaylee said.

Sark was surprised to realize that he had never seen the house they had just pulled up to. "Where are we? I thought I knew all of Irina's safe houses here in Paris."

"Oh, I'm sure you do," Kaylee admitted. "But this isn't Irina's safe house. It's mine."

"I'm impressed," Sark said. "Are you sure this is a good place to stay?'

"Absolutely." Kaylee got out of the car and started to make her way to the front door of the little cottage. "I've been renting this cottage every summer since I turned eighteen. My mother thought it wise that I escape 'the dangerous life she leads' every summer. Something about things heating up as the temperature rose. I'm not really sure. All I know is I adore coming to this place. So much in fact that I bought it last year. It stays empty whenever I'm not here."

She picked up the doormat and pulled a key from underneath. "Not very inventive," Sark commented.

"This is just the first phase." Kaylee turned the key in the lock and pulled the door open. Behind the first door was a second one with a digital keypad and handprint scanner. Smiling to Sark, she punched in a ten-digit code and held her hand up for scanning. "Is that more to your liking?" she asked.

He nodded his approval and followed her into her secret hideaway. The whole atmosphere of the cottage suggested that it was Kaylee's own private place. Everything about it displayed the personality and characteristics Sark was beginning to recognize as solely hers. The kitchen he was being led into gave off a woodsy, homey feeling that Sark knew was never a part of any of Irina's safe houses.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Kaylee offered as she began scrounging through the cupboards and refrigerator.

"No, thank you," Sark said. "Can I ask what you're looking for?"

"I'm looking to see if there's enough supplies here to survive on." With a content nod of her head, Kaylee turned to her companion. "I think if you don't mind spaghetti out of the box and canned soup, we'll make do."

"I guess considering the circumstances I can live with it," Sark admitted. "So what can we do to keep ourselves occupied?"

With a smile, Kaylee grabbed his hand and led him upstairs. Sark was starting to get a little uncomfortable with the way it appeared she was taking his comment. She noticed his worried look and laughed silently to herself. "Don't worry. I'm not going to attack you," she said. "I just wanted to show you the room you'll be staying in. Maybe I can find some old clothes that will fit you."

"You happen to keep men's clothes at your summer cottage?"

"No. The men I take to my summer cottage tend to forget about their clothes when they're here. Can't help it if they leave their clothes behind completely."

Sark smirked and began to rifle through the large collection of clothes in the closets. He was surprised to find a rather expensive pair of jeans and a beige Benetton sweater, which he believed he had in his closet at his London apartment.

"I'll leave you to change," Kaylee said. "Make yourself at home downstairs when you're done."

Sark quickly changed and made his way back downstairs. He really wanted to take a closer look at the cottage while Kaylee was busy changing herself. The room next to the kitchen was just as natural feeling, but it seemed a little more comfortable. Sark found himself laughing as he discovered that Kaylee had set up pictures of her and her mother all over the one wall. He couldn't believe that Irina had led this other life with Kaylee without anyone noticing. Figuring that Kaylee would be coming downstairs any minute, he decided to not be caught snooping but rather put his time to good use finding something for them to drink.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Kaylee was surprised to find a fire blaring in her fireplace and Sark lying on her coach with his eyes closed. "I guess you took my suggestion to make yourself at home seriously," she said as she sat down on one of the chairs next to the coach. She had changed into some of her most comfortable clothes, a simple tank top and navy blue sweatpants.

"I'm too tired to be witty," Sark said without opening his eyes.

Kaylee noticed that Sark had helped himself to her stash of liquor. There were two wineglasses and a bottle of one of her favorite blush wines sitting on the coffee table. "Nice choice of wine."

"It's one of the few things I do well," Sark said finally opening his eyes.

"I find that hard to believe. You seem like the type of person who doesn't do anything they can't do well."

"Have you been spying on me?"

"Maybe." Kaylee paused to add a little more wine to her glass. "Why don't you tell me a little about yourself? I wasn't expecting to come here so there's not much to keep us occupied. Anyway, I'd really like to know a little about my mother's top business associate."

"I shouldn't tell you any of this," Sark began. "Irina says that my mystery is the only reason I succeed in life. But maybe you should know a little bit more about me." Secretly, he hoped if she understood who he really was and what he had done in his years as a spy then maybe she wouldn't bring up the whole kiss issue again.

"Let's start with a first name. Sometimes I feel kind of foolish calling you Sark."

"How do you know Sark isn't my first name?" Kaylee shot him an icy look. "Okay, okay. My name's Andrew. Andrew Sark. I grew up in a suburb right outside of London called South Croyden. Before that, I'm not sure where I lived. My father wasn't too fond of the idea of having a child. As soon as I was old enough to survive on my own, he told me to stop causing him trouble and leave. I lived on the streets until I was sixteen. That's when I met your mother. I don't know what she saw in me, but she saw something because she took me to one of her safe houses. She gave me food and asked what I was doing living on the street. I got no pity from her but plenty of respect. She taught me a lot about who I was. Is that enough?"

"For now. But I still have to test you to see if you can actually be my friend."

Sark leaned forward towards her, intrigued. "Ask me anything."

"Um..." She thought for a moment. "Okay. Funniest movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Life of Brian?"

"Holy Grail, hands down."

"Cat or dog?"

"Cat. Only because I don't think I could handle having to constantly let a dog out to do his business. I like my sleep."

Kaylee moved to sit on the floor next to the coach. This game and her guest's answers always intrigued her. "Autumn or spring?" she asked.

"Spring. Who really likes a season that's based on dying?"

"Good answer. Romantic comedy or slasher flick?"

"Romantic comedy. I enjoy a little escapism and that's romantic comedy in its truest form."

"Wouldn't have guessed that one. Blond, brunette, or red head?"

"Can't I have all three?" Sark asked with a laugh. "I'd go with brunettes. They seem real and very grounded. I like that in a woman. Same question to you."

"Blonds. It's true what they say. I always have more fun when I'm with them."

"I have one for you," Sark said. "Finding the one you're meant to be with and dying the next day or living without them for the next fifty years."

"I'd rather love and love well then spend my life knowing what I could have had. That was good. Do you do this with many girls?"

"I have to admit that you're my first," Sark said with a smirk.

"Okay, this one's important. Superman or Batman, who would you rather have responsible to save your life?"

"Batman. Superman's weakness is common knowledge. I wouldn't want to rely on someone that the whole world knows how to defeat. You?"

"I'd go with Superman. Batman relies way to heavily on his gadgets. A true superhero only relies on themselves. I guess that kind of makes you and I superheroes in our own way."

"Saving the world from spontaneous electric fields one by one?"

Kaylee laughed and moved down to sit next to Sark on the coach. "This one's pretty serious. The past or the future?"

"A little bit of both," Sark replied soberly. "You can't run from the things you've done, but you can't dwell on them either. I've seen many people destroyed by dwelling in the past."

Kaylee caught the fact that he was deliberately leaving something unspoken. "Are you are ashamed of what you've done in the past?"

"No. I've done things that I regretted but I am not ashamed of what I've done. I've killed mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, people who had good lives, with no warning. Your sister thinks of me as a cold-blooded killer and I have to admit that she's right."

"You've done what you had to do to stay alive," Kaylee supplied. "I understand that."

"I knew that you would," Sark said softly. He pushed a wayward piece of hair behind her ear and rubbed her cheek. Kaylee was surprised to see desire searing in his eyes and tried her best to reflect the feeling back to him. It scared her how much she had started to care for this merciless killer.

"We should probably go to bed," Kaylee said breaking the silence that was hanging between them.

"In a minute," Sark replied as he pulled her closer to him. And with that, he gave in to his desire and gently pressed his lips to hers.


	14. Passion

Kaylee couldn't believe that Sark was actually kissing her and with such passion. She grasped the collar of his sweater and pulled him down on top of her. Her lips were on fire from the assault he was waging on them. She felt his fingers trail lightly up her stomach and begin to lift the tank top she had on off of her.

"Andrew," she whispered as his tongue parted her lips.

Hearing her voice seemed to snap Sark out of the desire-fueled state he was in. He quickly let her go and jumped off the coach. "What am I doing?" he asked no one in particular as he began to pace back and forth.

"Obviously what you want to be," Kaylee answered trying to pull him back to her.

"No, I can't do this."  


Kaylee felt her temper start to rise. "I thought we went over this earlier. You told me that you didn't have feelings for my sister! That was the only reason I could see for you not wanting me."

"It's not that," Sark said, pausing in his pacing. "It's you."

"Oh thanks!" Kaylee screamed. Her temper was definitely flaring. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"I didn't mean it like that. You're my employer's daughter. That means it's automatic hands off."

"Why? Did my mother say something to you?" Kaylee asked.

"No, she didn't have to say a word. She's so damn protective of you. There's no way she'd be happy with what was about to happen."

Kaylee tried a different approach. "Who says she has to know what goes on in this cottage?"

"Oh, don't try to get all seductive with me. It won't work."

"Really?" Kaylee asked. She decided another approach might be more effective in taking his mind off of her mother and his job. She slowly slid her sweat pants off her body. "How about this?"

She was happy to see desire flare up in Sark's eyes again. He started across the room toward her but stopped himself about halfway. "I can't be doing this," he mumbled. He looked at her pleadingly. "I just can't."

"I think you can. And I think you want to just as much as I want you to." Kaylee stood up and walked over to where Sark was standing. "Please," she whispered. "I want you."

With those words, Sark lost all the self-control he had managed to collect in the last few minutes. He lifted Kaylee up and started kissing her with twice as much fury as before. She wrapped her legs around his waist and whispered, between kisses, "My bedroom's the first door on the right." 

Sark carried her upstairs, kissing and touching her the whole way, and set her on her bed. He walked back to close the bedroom door. Turning, he looked at her lying on the bed waiting for him to come to her. "I knew a Derevko woman would be my downfall," he whispered. He pulled his sweater off and began to walk toward her.

When he had reached the bed, Kaylee grasped his arms and pulled him down to her. She felt the cool skin on his back as his lips glided down her throat. He lightly bit the nape of her neck, which made her softly cry out. She pulled his mouth to hers again, hot and hard, all the way trying to steady her beating pulse.

Sark only paused kissing her to pull her tank top over her head. As soon as it was off, he want back to kissing her turning the mood from slightly playful to borderline possessive. He hadn't wanted a woman like he wanted Kaylee in years. His mouth slowly trailed all the way down to her belly button as he slowly slid off her underwear.

Deciding that she didn't want him to have the upper hand which he certainly would if she didn't do something quick, she flipped him onto his back and slowly trailed kisses down his chest until she reached the fly of his pants. Smiling wickedly, she unbuttoned them and slid his pants and boxers down in one fatal swoop. He groaned in release and pulled her back up to his level for a desperate kiss.

Kaylee realized that Sark really had been holding back from her. She would never have imagined that this cold-hearted spy could have so much passion inside. She broke the kiss they had been sharing and pulled his chin up so he was looking her in the eyes.

With a quick flick of his wrist and without breaking eye contact, he removed the last piece of clothing between them. The pace between them began to speed up to near frantic as both realized there was no turning back from the feelings they had stirred up. Kaylee felt a sudden need to feel him and didn't hesitate to tell him so.

"Not yet," he whispered and flipped her over onto her back. He bit her neck again just hard enough to get her to gasp for him again. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of that noise," he admitted to himself. Before she had time to recover from the pleasure/pain sensations he was creating in her, his mouth was on her breasts, slowly making her squirm with desire. 

Determined to finish what he started with that first kiss, Sark continued to lightly nip at her breasts while letting his hand drift between her legs

"Oh God," Kaylee whispered as she clung to Sark. "Please..." Her voice trailed off.

"Soon," he promised.

Kaylee quickly realized that he was finding a lot of joy in teasing her in more ways than one. "No," she said suddenly determined. "Now." She gave him a little smirk.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked, knowing that he couldn't stop himself even if she said no.

She responded by roughly pulling his lips down to hers. Without any more hesitation, he plunged into her completely. Kaylee dug her nails into his back as he began to slowly move. The pain mingled with his pleasure, and he couldn't help but groan. As the pace increased, she locked eyes with him. The desire and plain need he had felt for her was mirrored back at her one hundred fold. It was enough to send her over the edge, and he climaxed with her.

The two lay panting next to one another on the bed, neither knowing the right thing to say or whether anything needed to be said at all. Finally, Sark simply pulled Kaylee close for one final kiss before he let the exhaustion that had been building up for days finally take over.


	15. Mom, This Isn't What It Looks Like

Kaylee was surprised to wake up the next morning with Sark's arms still firmly planted around her naked body. She would have really guessed that he would have freaked out somewhere during the night and run away in fear of what they had done together. Or at least that's always what had happened to her before when her ex-lovers realized they had slept with the daughter of one of the world's most dangerous women.

She turned over so she could see Sark just to make sure that he was actually there. She was surprised to find him completely awake and staring back at her.

"Hi," she said simply.

"Good morning," Sark whispered. He planted a small kiss on the bridge of her nose. "I know we have to talk about what happened last night. But can we just put it off for a little while?"

"Since you look so damn cute with that worry face," Kaylee said turning back over, "I guess we could."

Sark smiled and pulled her a little closer to him. He had just slept with the daughter of his boss of ten years, and he didn't care. He wanted to live in the moment for a little while longer because he knew that this kind of display of affection could never, ever happen again. A spy who wants to keep himself from dying never lets his emotions get tangled up in the game, and that's exactly what would happen if he allowed himself to care for Kaylee more than he already feared he did.

Kaylee's voice interrupted his thoughts after a few minutes of silence. "I suppose that, since we're putting off reality for a little while, and we've both gotten plenty of rest, you wouldn't mind another round?" She could just picture his shocked face at her proposition.

"Why picture it when you can actually see it?" she thought and turned back over. She was stunned to see that he didn't look shocked but rather he looked eager at the proposition. "Even better," she murmured as she pulled his face close for a kiss.

And that was when their whole little secluded world came crashing down.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Irina had been sitting in one of the main offices in her London base of operations when she had gotten the news of Kaylee and Sark's abduction the day before. She had confidence that her daughter has been raised with an adequate enough education to get her free from whomever had kidnapped her, especially since none of the major government organizations or crime syndicates were admitting to having Kaylee in their custody. Irina figured it must be some new organization which would mean the whole operation was probably extremely sloppy.

However, she found herself concerned enough to finish up her business in London rather quickly and return to Paris. She wasn't surprised when she was informed that Kaylee and Sark were hiding out in Kaylee's summer home. Irina had specifically instructed Kaylee to equip the house with top of the line surveillance and security gear as soon as she had purchased it. Kaylee had received strict instructions if some emergency came up that was tied to her mother's work somehow to go here, to the one place that wasn't connected to Irina in any way.

Not wanting to alarm Sark who Kaylee probably had sleeping on the coach in case someone found them, Irina used a small decoder to jam the digital keypad and used her own hand to open the door. The door swung open.

"Wow, no Sark on the coach," Irina thought. "I was wrong about that one. Kaylee must be getting a little cocky about her skills. Just like her sister is." Imagining Kaylee passed out on her bed from the shock of being tortured by her captors, Irina began to make her way a little more quickly upstairs to the room she knew her daughter favored and let herself in. 

She was surprised to see that her daughter had a man in her bed. She was even more surprised when she realized that man was her business associate and the only man in her life she currently trusted.

"Well, well," Irina said out loud, "What do we have here?"

Sark immediately stopped kissing Kaylee and froze his entire body. This was probably the worst possible scenario he could have imagined. Kaylee, not missing a beat, got out of bed and threw on her robe, which was sitting on the chair next to the bed. She sat back down on the bed next to Sark. Seeing the look of horror still emblazoned on his face, she slipped her hand quietly into his for support.

"What have you been doing with my daughter?" Irina asked Sark with a smirk. Not waiting for Sark to answer her, Irina walked over to her daughter. "Can I talk with you a moment in private, darling?"

Irina grasped Kaylee's arm lightly and led her out of the room. Right as they reached the door, Irina called behind her, "Please put some clothes on, Sark. I want to talk with you next."

Kaylee sat down on the coach in the living room that she had been on with Sark only twelve hours earlier. She stared up at her mother blankly. For once in her life, she couldn't gage what her mother's reaction would be. "I'm not sure where to begin," she admitted.

"Darling, I'm not mad," Irina reassured her.

Kaylee's jaw dropped open. "But you've never approved of any man I've been intimate with. Not once."

"I'm aware," Irina said coolly. "But you've never dated a man like Andrew Sark. He's good for you. "

"You're confusing the hell out of me, mother. Are you pissed off or are you actually happy?"

Irina let out a sigh. "Let me let you in on a little secret. I practically raised Sark to fall in love with you and vice versa. I had always intended for you two to be together. I just never imagined that it would happen so quickly. You're both so stubborn I assumed you'd need a lot more pushing."

"No matter if it made us happy or not, you were going to force us to be together." Kaylee felt her temper flare for the hundredth time since she had met Sark a few days earlier. She knew she was being irrational when she should have been happy with what her mother told her, but irrationality was another trait she had inherited from her mother.

"Oh come on," Irina said with a doubtful look on her face. "You didn't notice a pattern of men you were bringing home? What qualities did they all have?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, mother," Kaylee said obstinately.

"They all walked around with their emotions on their sleeve. How many of them told you they loved you within days of meeting you? They were all pushovers who would do whatever you wanted them to. And not because you had them wrapped around your finger, but because they thought it was just easier to let you control them. They were just pathetic, dear. And my daughter deserves much, much better than that."

"And what does this have to do with anything really?"

"I wanted you to transfer my emotions of dislike onto yourself. I figured if I trained you to hate men who were the exact opposite of Sark you would have an easier time when you met him. By doing that, I convinced you to raise your standards. I mean, you haven't seriously date a man in almost two years. I could remember a time when you felt weird if you were single for a month." Irina paused to collect her thoughts. "Andrew Sark has proven himself to me. He's a good man. Like a good spy, he keeps his emotions hidden from the world, and he would die than let a woman know they were controlling him. I'm not saying a woman couldn't because personally I have for years. It's just that the woman would have to let him think he was still in control as she was calling all the shots."  


"What was the purpose of this whole plot?" Kaylee said. She really wanted her mother to get right to the point. But knowing Irina like she did, she knew that it might take years to learn what her mother was really planning with this whole scheme.

"Honestly, I just wanted to see you happy. I wanted to see you with a guy who was at your level. You've always dated guys so beneath you."

"True," Kaylee said with a smile. "But there wasn't much of a selection. I had to take what I could get because most of the guys out there were scared shitless to date me because of you."

"Sark isn't scared to date you," Irina said trying to steer the subject back to her daughter's new lover.

"I'm not so sure about that. He told me that the only reason he was holding back was because being the boss's daughter, I was off limits. If he weren't scared, that wouldn't bother him. And by the way, mother, we're not dating. In his mind, this was a one time thing, I'm sure."

"I have a feeling it had more to do with what he was feeling than what he thought I would feel. Well, you two should have a chat about that with one another when I'm done speaking with him," Irina said in a dismissive tone. "Would you bring him down to me?"

Kaylee sighed. When her mother was through giving answers, there was no power on earth that could make her divulge more. Kaylee trudged upstairs and flung herself on the bed in exasperation. She looked up to see Sark sitting on the end of it looking rather worried.

"Oh, calm down," Kaylee said taking a little of her anger out on him. "She wants to talk to you."

"Shouldn't we talk first?" Sark asked. He couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"That would probably be the best thing to do," Kaylee admitted as she sat up. "Mom can wait."

Sark began, "What happened last night was--"

Kaylee cut him off. "A one time thing. I know, I know. You don't have to bang it into my head. I understand that you can't have attachments if you want to be good at your job. I'm the daughter of Irina Derevko. I know how emotional detachment goes."

"That's not what I was going to say."

"Oh really?" Kaylee said, curious. Sark still hadn't made eye contact with her which was strange. He had always presented himself as extremely cocky since she had first seen him. The research she had quickly compiled on him since that time said that he loved to shake people up by making eye contact with them and not breaking it until it was almost impossibly uncomfortable.

"I was going to say that what happened last night probably should be a one time thing. That's what my head's telling me to consider it. Like you said, as a good spy, I know emotion kills. But I honestly don't want it to be over."

Kaylee stared at him, completely speechless. This is not what she had expected to hear this cocky, stubborn man say.

"Listen. You remember that conversation we had before when you accused me of being in love with Sydney." Kaylee nodded. "I think that's when I realized how much trouble I was in. I explained to you that I could easily be in love with her, but I'm not. I said that I just couldn't understand how she could be so open and vulnerable. The way you're not."

"If that's a compliment, I don't know how I should take it."

"It is a compliment. You don't wear your emotions on your sleeve like Sydney does. You're more like me. Neither one of us could possess that open vulnerability. You hide your emotions until you almost bust with pent up anger and rage. I understand that because I do it to. That was the one major point that Sydney and I differ on. The one main thing that kept me from developing feelings greater than admiration for her." Sark quickly changed the tone of his voice to something a little more joking, but he still failed to look up at her. "Hell, I really think you were wrong when you said she was my perfect fit."

"Why?" Kaylee asked.

"Because you're my perfect fit and then some," Sark said finally making eye contact with her. "And it scares me to hell."


	16. Facing the Music

Sark gave Kaylee's hand a small squeeze and walked out of their bedroom. He had no idea what Irina would do or say to him when he got downstairs. All he knew was that he wasn't look forward to it one bit. Irina Derevko was a great boss to have, but she was not the person you wanted to make mad.

"Sark," she said simply. She motioned for him to take a seat next to her on the coach.

"Irina." He sat down and waited for her to start scolding.

"I have to leave the country in a few hours."

"Really? Where are you off to?" he asked.

"Miami. I've been neglecting my first-born child. I think it's time that her and I had a little visit. You know, to catch up."

"Irina, what are you playing at?" Sark asked.

"It's all part of the plan. Sydney is getting too comfortable in her life since she took down the Alliance. Someone has to shake it up. And I don't think you have the same effect on her that you used to, dear Sark." Irina paused to smirk at Sark. "However, I do think you have an effect on my other daughter."

"I was wondering how long it would take you to get down to the point."

"Oh, this isn't the point, Sark. Far from it in fact. Maybe someday I'll tell you the real point." Irina stood up and began putting her jacket on.  
  
"You're leaving," Sark said. It was more of a statement than a question.

"I told you I have to go to Miami. Dear, dear Sark. I love you like a son, you know that. You're the only person in this world besides my daughter that I trust with my life."

"That's quite a compliment," Sark said. He stood up and helped Irina into her jacket.

"No. What's the real compliment is the fact that I trust you with my daughter. She means more to me than my own life. Don't hurt her, Sark. Or I might have to kill you." Irina smiled at Sark's relieved face. He finally believed that she wasn't going to yell at him.

"You wouldn't. As they say, good help is so hard to find. I'm irreplaceable."  


"It's nice to see you back to your old self," Irina said as she opened the front door. "Keep Kaylee occupied. Don't leave this house until I get back. It's very important that you stay here. The CIA has found the location of this house and is monitoring it right now. They think Kaylee's going to pull some stunt. I need you to make sure that she doesn't. Keep her occupied."

"Won't you tell me anything about this grand plan you've come up with?" Sark asked as she turned to leave.

"I'll tell you this. The prophecy is not what it seems. Not at all."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Kaylee listened to the conversation her mother had with Sark from the top step. It was a habit she had picked up from years of leaving with a mother who had unlimited secrets. She couldn't believe that her mother was forcing her to stay cooped up in this cottage. It was true she loved it with all of her heart, but she hated being caged in.

Hearing the door slam behind her mother, she walked down the stairs to have a talk with Sark. "We're not staying here," she said simply.

"Oh, yes we are," Sark replied. "Your mother needs to know you're safe while she conducts her business. It's my job to insure that."  


"So now you're my babysitter and my bodyguard?" Kaylee smirked.

Sark wrapped his arms around her waist. "Is that all you want me to be?" he asked slyly as she walked over to the window. 

She became preoccupied with something that was going on outside so it took her a few moments to answer, which she did rather casually. "No. I also want you to be my travel companion." She turned to look at him and put on puppy dogs eyes and pouted her lips. This was a look she had perfected over the years. It was foolproof. "Please."

"Oh, don't use that routine on me. I've gone through heavy training to learn to keep my emotions in check. A little pouting isn't going to change everything."

Kaylee made her eyes well up a little and walked over to him. She lightly kissed his neck and nipped a little. "Please," she whispered again.

"I said no," Sark said as he fought to keep control.

She unbuttoned his shirt and slowly started trailing kisses all over his chest. Her hand reached down to undo his zipper. "Please."

"Do you think you really have that much control over me?" he managed to spit out. He was proud that he kept his voice at a controlled level without any huskiness.

She smiled at him as his shirt hit the floor. "Please, Andrew."

He realized that no matter what he did she was going to be too stubborn to take no as an answer. "I do know a place that we can have a little privacy in," Sark admitted. "But you can't let anyone, and I mean anyone, know we're leaving. Especially your mother."

"Promise," Kaylee said with a smile. "What should I pack?"

"Nothing. You're going to need a passport."

Kaylee looked over at Sark who was standing in the middle of the room, half-undressed with slightly messed up hair. "We don't have to leave right away," she suggested.

He smiled at her. "No, not right away."


	17. A Thousand Dollar Bet

Sydney walked into the bar of the hotel she and her father were staying at. Sighing to herself, she took in her surroundings. The bar had a super modern feel to it that made Sydney feel like they were trying to hard to be cool and appeal to the younger crowd. The bar was surprisingly full for three o'clock in the afternoon on a gorgeous day in Miami. Sydney began to scan for her contact. She really wanted to get in and out of this situation before Jack realized she had slipped away from their hotel room. She absentmindedly fingered the note she had discovered on her pillow the night before when she came back from dinner.

"It says be here at three o'clock. It's a matter of national security," Sydney thought to herself as she took a seat at the bar. She couldn't help but mutter out loud. "Sounds like a really bad Hollywood movie. Now all we need is for me to fall in love with someone that, tragically, I can never have. Angst, angst, angst. We get together. Happily ever after."

"I think that already happened," whispered an extremely familiar voice in her ear.

"Vaughn!" she said turning around. "What are you doing in Miami? I would have thought Kendall would have chained you to your desk to keep you from interrupting my vacation."

Vaughn ordered a brandy and sat down on the stool next to Sydney. "Did you like my cryptic note?" he asked.

"It was rather strange," Sydney said with a smile. "I mean 'a matter of national security'?"

"I had to make it strange. Otherwise you wouldn't have come. You like investigating strange situations. When I was your handler, I feel it was my duty to know these things." Vaughn smiled and took Sydney's hand. "So what were you muttering about happily ever after?"

"Oh, it was nothing. God, I missed you," Sydney said pulling him in for a quick but heated kiss. "Why couldn't Kendall have given you time off to come with us?"

"How has the vacation been going? Have you and Jack been able to adjust to the new development in your life?

"It's been pretty unreal. I mean, isn't it only supposed be on movies and soap operas that the sister I never knew I had comes into my life intent on beating the crap out of me and running my life?" Sydney joked.

"Well, you're life is pretty much a soap opera. You were a double agent. Feel in love with the one man you couldn't have if you wanted to keep your job. Almost got him killed numerous times if I remember correctly." Vaughn laughed as Sydney poked him in the ribs. "Your mother came back from the dead and shot you in the shoulder. Your father put you into a program when you were little that guaranteed you'd grow up to be a spy. One of your best friends had to pretend to be a heroin addict just so he wouldn't die, and the other one still has no idea what you really do. One of the world's top criminals considered you almost like a daughter before you destroyed his whole world. If your life were a TV program, I'd watch it."

"Funny," she replied. "So what's with all the subterfuge in meeting? You do know we can talk in public now that SD-6 and the Alliance has been destroyed."

"Just wanted to see you, I guess." He gave her a weak smile along with his blatant lie.

"Why are you here?" she asked noticing the shift in mood.

"There's been a new development in the investigation. Kaylee Derevko has resurfaced."

"Finally!" Sydney said leaning back on her bar stool. "It took the CIA two weeks to find her. I've been going nuts here in Miami. You guys shipped me off to a place where I couldn't even help with the investigation. And because of the investigation, I've been too on edge to relax. Do you have any idea where she's been?"

"As far as we can tell, she was just on vacation. There were no new thefts or any other type of movements having to do with Rambaldi and his work. We don't know why she dropped off the face of earth for two weeks or where she's been. We can only assume it was somewhere in Europe. Irina Derevko wouldn't let her daughter out of her sight for that long."

"Not _that_ daughter," Sydney whispered.

Vaughn paled realizing what he had said. "I didn't mean it like that Sydney and you know it. It's just your mother gave you and her life as Laura Bristow up years ago. She's cut away that part of her life. It seems like she's built a completely new life in Paris with your sister. I would bet a thousand dollars that she is trying to come up with a scheme that gets you closer to her. Your mother would never let a talent like yours go to waste on any other agency except her own. She might not have wanted you in the past, but she wants you now."

"Her life is with Kaylee, Vaughn. That's a life I don't fit into," Sydney said as she stood up. "Why did you come here, Vaughn? I mean, really."  


Vaughn stood up and led Sydney over to the elevator. "Listen, Syd. The CIA has gone back to their original theory on Rambaldi."

"Meaning they now think that once again I'm the woman in the prophecy. It's impossible for that to be true, and the CIA is crazy to even consider it. I saw Mount Subasio. You know that. You helped me get there. Remember? Why would they think that I was the woman in the prophecy again?"

"That wasn't their original theory, Sydney," Vaughn admitted. "Originally, they thought that the woman in the prophecy didn't truly exist. That she was never really meant to be a real woman. They had no documented records of any woman who had the potential to grow into the genetic anomalies that Rambaldi listed. They now think that Rambaldi created this prophecy as a distraction. A distraction from his real prophecy."

"Do we know what that real prophecy is?' Sydney asked.

"No. We have Marshall and the others working on it right now. He thinks he can develop a program to analyze all the Rambaldi artifacts in existence that we know of. The CIA believes that there's some connection we're missing in this investigation."

"So, what does this have to do with Kaylee and my mother? And why did you have to meet with me in private to discuss this? Why isn't my father involved?" Sydney paused to unlock her hotel room door. Turning back, she looked at Vaughn waiting for his reaction. Instead of looking lost in thought on how to answer her questions like Sydney thought he would be, he was staring rather intently inside her hotel room with his mouth slightly agape.

"You owe me a thousand dollars," he whispered.

"Hello, Sydney." Irina Derevko said as she stood up for her seat in the room. "Do come in."


	18. Mother and Father

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sydney yelled as she slammed the door shut behind Vaughn.

"I thought you might miss me," Irina said smugly. "Plus, I didn't want you to think that I was playing favorites between my daughters."

"Cut the crap, Derevko," Vaughn chimed in. "There has to be a extremely important reason you're here. You're wanted for hundreds of crimes in this country."

Irina laughed. "Do you honestly think your government is smart enough to know how to hold a person like me? Even if I were to get captured, I would be out within twenty-four hours. You really work for some pathetic people, Sydney."

"What do you want?" Sydney snarled through her teeth.

"I want let you in on a little secret I have." Irina paused and looked over at Vaughn. "You, too."

"Again, what do you want?" Sydney demanded.

Irina ignored her. "The Rambaldi prophecy you uncovered is real. There really is a woman out there with the genetic anomalies Rambaldi spoke of. I heard the CIA had gotten off track in their investigation. Thought I could help out." She looked over at Sydney. "Isn't that what mothers are for?"

"What purpose does telling us have for you?"

"I would love to explain that except I think your father's on his way up to the room. We can't have him knowing that I'm here." She paused. "Or you, Agent Vaughn." She walked over to him and lightly touched his cheek. "You look just like him, you know?"

Irina walked over to the balcony overlooking the water. "Ask your father about the day I asked him to marry me." With that, she jumped off the balcony.

Sydney ran over to the window and watched her mother dive straight into the ocean. She pounded her fists against the railing in frustration. Turning to Vaughn, she asked, "What just happened?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Jack said as he entered the room. "What are you doing here, Agent Vaughn?"

"I came to see Sydney, Jack. And now that that's done. I'll be leaving. I wish I could have stayed for longer, Sydney. But Kendall can't know that I've even left Los Angeles." He gave Sydney a quick kiss, trying to not pay attention to Jack's scowling, and left the room.

Sydney held up a hand to silence the questions she knew her father was going to ask. "Vaughn wasn't just here to see me. The CIA believes that Rambaldi's prophecy isn't really about a woman who exists. They think it's all a distraction from the real prophecy which Rambaldi had. Before you ask, the CIA has no idea what the real prophecy is. More important than what Vaughn wanted, my mother was just here."

"Irina was here? In Miami? In the hotel?"

"Yes. She wanted to let us know that Rambaldi's prophecy was about a real woman who is alive right now. I don't know why she would share this information with us or if it's even true." Sydney paused knowing that this was going to be the hardest part of the explanation. "Dad. She told me to ask you about when she proposed to you."

Jack's face paled. He wasn't completely sure that Irina would have really come to Miami to talk with her daughter. But no one else knew about what had gone on in Madrid when Laura Bristow had asked him to marry her.

"Dad. You need to tell me about it if we're going to figure out Mom's real reason for coming here today," Sydney insisted.

"Your mother and I were on a little vacation. This was back when we were still dating. We had gone to Madrid, Spain. She thought it was because I had always adored the architecture there. In actuality, the CIA had given me a mission to carry out there. Everything went fine in the mission and I was left with two whole days of just enjoying the trip with your mother. On our last evening, we were sitting in a small café outside of the Antigua Estacion de Atocha train station. She turned to me and suggested that we get married. It was the simple, nonchalant way she said it that should have made me suspicious. But I was so in love that I told her I would love to except that we didn't have enough time to do it properly. That's when she told me why she wanted to get married, besides the fact that she claimed to love me.

"What?" Sydney asked. She was curious as to how this story was going to fit into what was happening in her life.

"She told me she was pregnant with you, Sydney. That little café in Madrid was our favorite spot in Europe from that day on. I'll always remember the look of pride on her face when she told me. She might be a horrible person, but no one will ever convince me that she didn't love you back then." Jack paused. "I don't know what to think of her now."

Sydney put her arm around her father's shoulder in comfort. "I think we need to cut our vacation short, Dad. Maybe I should go to Spain and investigate that café. There might be something important about that location in terms of Rambaldi's prophecy."

"No, you can't do that." Jack was immediately defensive. "She wants you to go to Madrid for some reason. I won't let you play her game the way she wants you to."

"Dad, I'm going for no other reason than it will probably start speeding this investigation up. And I'm curious."

Jack scowled. "You get that curiosity from your mother. It's one of her worst characteristics."

"I can't help who I am," Sydney admitted. "But I know that there's no way I could ever do what she did to her family. Never."

"I know that, sweetheart," Jack said as he took her hand. "Let's see if we can't book you a flight from Miami to Madrid."


	19. Revelations

Sydney couldn't believe that she was in Madrid and no one except her father knew about it. It always surprised her when she was able to give the CIA the slip. Strangely, she did it quite often. She called her father immediately after landing safely. Jack had promised to inform the CIA that she was in Madrid as soon as possible so that she wouldn't get into too much trouble by avoiding authority. He also promised to explain to Vaughn why she had to leave so suddenly. Though Jack admitted to himself that Vaughn would probably be a lot more understanding than Sydney thought.

"Love makes it easy to accept the strangest things," Jack had said.

Sydney thought back to that moment and realized that he was probably referring to his relationship with Irina Derevko. He still can't understand what exactly had come over him during those years of happiness. It must be hard realizing that you were living with a spy for eight years and no one was able to tell.

It was surprisingly easy to locate the café with the directions her father had given her. Pessimistic as ever, he told her not to be surprised if it wasn't even there anymore. It had been twenty-four years since he had last visited that particular area of Madrid.

The café was in the correct spot and bustling with busy lunchers. "Why would my mother want me to come here?" Sydney wondered to herself. She got her answer almost immediately. "Sark," she whispered.

She watched him pick up two glasses of wine from a small bar that was outside the café. Obviously, he had company for lunch. "Of course it's a blonde," Sydney said softly to herself with a laugh. She couldn't properly see the blonde's face because an umbrella was in the way. Trying to figure out if her mom had wanted her to just see what Sark was up to or if she was actually supposed to engage him in some witty banter, she tried to shift her position. The least she could do was figure out who this mysterious girl was.

By the time she had shifted position, Sark and the blonde were no longer sitting at the table. Sydney watched as he led her into an open area where the tables had been cleared away. They danced slowly to the romantic music that was softly playing from the speakers.

"Hmmm," Sydney said to herself. "Maybe Sark has human emotions after all. Damn! I still can't see the blonde's face. Though that hair doesn't look too natural. Maybe it's a wig." Sydney's brain was still churning as she watched the blonde pull Sark into a rather passionate kiss. Sydney smirked as she realized that the show she was receiving helped prove she had been correcting in thinking Sark was a good kisser. It was amazing the things she had thought off when she had been stuck in a briefing room listening to Sloane go on and on about all the "good work" that SD-6 was doing.

"Hey!" Sydney said to herself. "That wig looks just like the one I wore in Tunisia."

She was just beginning to put two and two together when Sark twirled his companion around so that she faced Sydney's direction.

It was Kaylee.

"My sister is romantically involved with Sark," Sydney hissed as she got up to move in on the couple. She didn't know her sister that well, but there was no way she was going to let anyone she shared blood with be drawn in by Sark. "That snake," she whispered. She weaved in and out of the traffic to make her way over to the couple.

"What the hell is going on?" Sydney screamed as soon as she was within earshot.

"I knew we should have stayed home," Sark muttered as he prepared himself for a fight.

Sydney waltzed right onto the makeshift dance floor and, true to routine, punched Sark in the jaw.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Kaylee demanded.

"It's okay," Sark said as he rubbed his jaw. "It's what she does. What do you want, Agent Bristow?"

"I want you to get your grubby hands off of my little sister. That's what I want," Sydney demanded.

"Why, Agent Bristow, do you think I'm seducing your little sister?" Sark said. He plastered his trademark cocky grin on his face. "I do believe you have this situation all wrong."

"Oh, do I?"

"Yes. You see, I'm not seducing your little sister. It turns out she's seducing me and doing a smashing good job if I do say so myself."

"It's true," Kaylee added. "I don't know how you could resist a grin like that."

Sydney stared at her sister in disbelief before murmuring, "It's actually quite easy. Like this." Sydney punched Sark again. "See. The grin's all gone." Sydney kicked Sark hard in the shin making him lose his balance and hit the pavement hard.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sydney?" Kaylee asked as she helped Sark up.

"Our mother paid me a visit earlier today. She told me a little bit about the Rambaldi prophecy and left me with a hint that she wanted me to come here. So, I came. Much to my surprise, she must have just wanted me to witness Sark controlling my sister." Sydney backhanded him.

"God, I wish you would stop doing that," Sark mumbled as he curled over in pain.

"Listen, Sydney," Kaylee said harshly. "Our mother's purpose in having you come here has nothing to do with Sark or I. We aren't even supposed to be in Spain so there's no way she could have known you would run into us. Would you stop doing that?" Kaylee asked as Sydney kicked Sark again. "How did you run into us, by the way?"

"This is the café where Mom proposed to Dad. She made me ask him about the story which is what led me here in the first place." Sydney saw that Sark was recovering quickly from the previous blow and tried to hit him again. Kaylee grasped her hand before it made contact.

"I think we've had enough of you beating up my boyfriend," Kaylee said simply. "Sark, do you have any idea why Irina wanted Sydney to come here?"

"I think it has something to do with that," Sark mumbled. He pointed to the building across the street.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sydney demanded. "That's just a building."

"Follow me," Sark said as he began to hobble across the street. When they got closer to the building, Kaylee and Sydney both gasped in shock. The buildings walls were engraved with Italian words. It was like a huge manuscript on display for every passerby to look at.

"What is this?" Sydney asked as she felt the grooves of the words with her right hand.

"This is the most public Rambaldi artifact known to the man. Milo Rambaldi had this building created when he was alive. Inscribed on it is text which he claimed could only be understood by 'the woman'. Irina and I agreed that he was referring to the woman in his prophecy. I'm surprised you've never heard of this building, Agent Bristow. I think Irina wanted you to discover it so she could be certain that you weren't the woman. That whole prophecy is like a three way ping-pong match between you and her and…" Sark's voice trailed off. The pain Sydney had inflicted on him was clouding his judgment. He almost said too much to his most skilled adversary.

"And who, Sark?" Sydney asked. She wasn't going to let his slip-up fade away without comment.

"And me," Kaylee said. "It's only natural to assume that I'm a contender in the prophecy if both you and Mom are. Sark was trying to protect me."

"From who?" Sydney asked.

Kaylee slid her hand into Sark's. "From the world, including the government you work for."

"Irina and I know what happened to you when the CIA thought you were the woman in the prophecy. Neither one of us want to see the same thing happen to Kaylee. Which is the main reason that you never knew of her existence," Sark admitted. He partially made up the last part but he figured it was a good, solid lie that would divert Sydney slightly from the quest he knew she was on. It was only natural when encountering a sibling you didn't know you had for the first time

Sydney continued to stare at the wall for a few more moments. "I don't understand it, Sark. None of it." Sydney purposefully shot a glance in her sister's direction. "You can tell her that. And make sure she knows that I've seen Mount Subasio." She turned to leave but changes her mind. "Can I speak to my sister in private?"

"As long as you promise not to punch me again," Sark said. He dropped Kaylee's hand and made his way back across the street. Let it go down in history. This was the first time he had ever willing given control of a situation to Sydney Bristow.

"Listen," Sydney said before her sister could start talking or yelling. "Sark is a dangerous man. I don't think you should be getting involved with him."

"No, you listen," Kaylee demanded, suddenly furious with Sydney's whole big sister routine. "You might be my sister, but you don't know who I really am. Sharing the same blood means next to nothing in the world we live in. I'm not like you. I probably never will be. I'm not all good and open and vulnerable and nice. You know what our mother is like. She raised me in her own image, and I'm proud of that. I'm proud to be strong like her. Mom raised Sark in her image too. I know what and who he is. He is stubborn and cocky, and it doesn't matter to me."

"He's a cold-blooded killer," Sydney inserted.

"I know," Kaylee whispered. She grabbed Sydney quickly and pulled her into a hug. Before leaving, she whispered in Sydney's ear, "He's exactly like me, Syd."


	20. The Upper Hand

Irina was halfway through analysis of Sydney and Kaylee's surprise confrontation in Madrid when the doors to her office burst open. An irate Sark strutted in and threw a package down on Irina's desk.

"Here it is," Sark snarled as he took a seat in one of the leather armchairs on the other side of her desk. "Your precious package."

"What are you so mad about today, Andrew?" Irina asked in her casually calm voice.

"The second Kaylee and I return home from Madrid--"

Irina interrupted. "Where you should have been in the first place."

"I know, I know. The second we return you send me on a mission to Antarctica. I barely had time to talk with Kaylee before I was shipped out on one of your personal jets. What the hell are you playing at, Irina?"

"This package you got me is almost as important as my whole operation. It's a clue to what Rambaldi's prophecy truly means." Irina untied the string and unwrapped the brown paper covering. She lifted out a small book that was bound by twine. The book looked to be at least five hundred years old.

"Is that one of Rambaldi's diaries?" Sark asked, intrigued.

Irina didn't say a word. She just smiled at Sark, slipped the book into her top desk drawer, and locked the drawer.

"Okay, Irina. Back to me being furious. Why are you bloody keeping me in the dark about everything all the sudden?"

"I've learned that it's best to keep the key players in the dark about most everything."

"Key player?" Sark inquired.

"If you think I'm going to explain what I meant by that phrase to you, then you really haven't caught on to what I'm about."

"I know. Mystery and intrigue. You thrive on it." Sark dejectedly stood up from his seat and made a move to leave the room.

"Andrew?" Irina said calling Sark's attention back to her.

"Yes?"

"Good job keeping Kaylee safe while you were in Madrid."

"Thanks."

Sark walked out of her office and up the main stairs. He was determined to find Kaylee and see if she knew more about the situation than he did. True she was Irina's daughter, but that still didn't give her the right to be more informed than he was. He knocked softly on her bedroom door and heard someone mutter something close to English. He could only assume it was an invitation to enter.

Kaylee was lying stretched out on her bed. "I'm too tired to talk. Leave me alone," she mumbled.

Sark just smiled and lay down on the bed next to her. "I'll leave if you really want me to."

"No, stay," Kaylee said as she turned over into his arms. "I hadn't heard that you had returned. How was the trip?"

"Productive, I think. I didn't get much information out of your mother on the purpose or impact of the package I picked up for her."

"And you came up here because you wanted to see if I knew anything?" Kaylee smirked.

"Yeah, I did." Seeing her outraged look, Sark added, "But I also just wanted to see how you were doing."

"That's right," Kaylee said, relaxing back onto the bed again. "I'm doing all right. Still coping with the shit Sydney pulled on me. Speaking of, how are you doing? Still sore?"

"If nothing else, Sydney sure can punch." Sark wasn't too found of the handful of bruises Sydney had produced on his body. "I'm not looking forward to the day when I find out that you are just as good if not better."

"I promise to punch you only if you really deserve it."

"I'm in trouble," Sark said as he pulled Kaylee in for a kiss.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Irina began to close down her laptop which she had been running probability figures on. She wanted to judge what the CIA's next move would be now that she had handed them the Rambaldi building clue on a silver platter. She wouldn't be surprised if the CIA demanded that the whole building in Madrid be carefully broken into pieces and shipped back to the States for analysis.

"Idiots," she murmured as she shut off the lights.

She was too busy thinking of the many flaws in the U.S. government to notice the odd movements in the shadows.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Sydney couldn't believe that her mother didn't see her scale down the side of the building and drop onto the balcony outside Irina's office. The equipment Marshall had provided her was fairly new and had some major bugs that needed to be worked out.

She softly pushed on the balcony doors and was surprised to realize that they weren't locked. "Looks like Mom's getting sloppy," she thought to herself. Just to be sure she scanned the room quickly for security devices with the tool Marshall gave her. Nothing came up. "Definitely sloppy."

Working her way slowly over to her mother's desk, Sydney was completely on alert. Even though the security scan came up blank, she still didn't believe her mother wouldn't protect what she had seen her lock up in her desk. Sydney leaned down to inspect the lock on the drawer. A solid one that was rather old-fashioned. It was just the key-turn-the-lock kind.

Not one to fuss with locks for too long, Sydney pulled a couple of locks picks out of the wristband she wore. Within seconds, she heard the satisfying sound of the lock tumblers clicking into place, and the drawer slid smoothly open. The book sat in plain view on top of everything in the drawer.

Letting her guard down slightly, Sydney grabbed the book without thinking or scanning for security alarms. Realizing what she had done, she was grateful that there were no alarms sounding. She was growing more suspicious of the whole operation. Why wouldn't her mother equip her office with alarms? It just didn't make sense.

Sydney pushed suspicion out of her mind and tried to exit through the same doors she had entered in. They wouldn't budge no matter how hard she pushed them. "That's the security system," she thought. "Someone enters, thinking they'll just steal what they need and leave the way they came. The doors don't open, and they're forced to exit through the most heavily trafficked area in the house. Not something easy done. But not everyone's me." She smiled at the idea of a challenge.

She slid the office door open a crack and scanned the hallway. No one was out there. Or at least no one she heard or saw. She did see a small cubby across the way. Quickly she darted out of the office and into the nook. She was pleased to realize that there really wasn't anyone in the hallway.

Sydney softly and carefully began to walk down the hall. She made it three fourths of the way to the main door when she heard talking from behind her. Taking in what was around her, she kneeled down to hide behind the massive sculpture that was next to her. It probably would have been better to dart into one of the rooms so she would be completely out of sight. But she really wanted to observe what was going on. Whoever was talking was making sure that they were as quiet as possible.

"I might not be the only one on a mission tonight," Sydney thought to herself.

She was surprised to see Sark and her sister walking down the hall. They paused at Irina's office door and listened for a moment. Hearing the silence that confirmed Irina had left, they entered.

"I need to get out of here and fast," Sydney realized. She stood up and began running down the hallway as fast as she could. She no longer cared to be careful or sly. "They're probably going in for the book I just stole." She opened the front door. "Which means they'll probably find out about the theft right about…" Sydney heard someone cursing as she stepped out into the cold and chuckled softly to herself. Amateurs.


	21. The Warehouse

"I can't believe I'm in this place again," Sydney said to no one in particular as she scanned the barren warehouse. This was the place she had spent so many hours going over missions and counter-mission with her handler.

"It's just like old times," Vaughn said as he slammed the warehouse door closed behind him. "In more ways than one." Sydney raised her eyebrow in inquiry. "I got the analysis back on the Rambaldi book you stole from your mother. The impact of it is huge."

"Glad I could be of service." Sydney patted the desk next to her.

Vaughn flashed her a smile and sat down. "The book seems to be similar to the one you previously recovered over a year ago. Except the CIA is pretty sure that this book contains the true prophecy that Rambaldi focused all his energies on."

"Have you been able to decipher what that prophecy is?"

"Partially. It turns out that the woman in the prophecy on Page 47 does truly exist, or at least Rambaldi intended for her to be a real person."

"Not me," Sydney said with determination.  
  
"No, the CIA doesn't think you are the woman in the prophecy."

"So who do they think she is?"

"Well, they've ruled out you and your mother for obvious reasons that have been debated over and over in the agency. The CIA's official decision is that the woman in the prophecy is Kaylee. Your sister."

"Sark and Kaylee mentioned to me the possibility of it being her when I confronted them in Madrid. So, it's definitely her, huh?"

"Yes. The intel we've gotten on her confirms the genetic anomalies, and her current position fits in with the info we extracted from the book you recovered." Vaughn stood up, slid his jacket off, and placed it on the chair next to the desk. He was surprised to hear Sydney chuckle. "What?" he asked with a smile. "You don't like my shirt choice today, Syd?"

"No, that's not it." Sydney stood up and slipped her arms around Vaughn. "It's your shoulder holster."

"What about it?' Vaughn asked.

"There's something about a man in a shoulder holster. It does something to me. Always has. You should know that by now."

"Why should I know that by now?"

Sydney looked at her boyfriend in surprise. "You never noticed?"

"Never noticed what?"

"Every time I met you in this warehouse and you were wearing that damn holster, I couldn't make eye contact with you. And I tried to make our conversation as brief as possible."

"Really?" Vaughn said with a laugh.

"I knew if I didn't get out of here quickly you and I would end up breaking protocol right on that desk."

"Had fantasies about seducing me in this warehouse, huh?" Vaughn asked.

"You don't even want to know." Sydney smiled at him and took her seat on the desk again. "Anyway, you still need to finish telling me about this new prophecy."

"We don't understand much about it yet. All we know is the woman in Rambaldi's Page 47 prophecy does hold the key to Rambaldi's work."

"This woman is supposed to 'render the greatest power unto utter desolation', right? Do we know what that means exactly?"

"We have no idea. But Marshall thinks that it isn't a literal meaning."  


"Explain," Sydney demanded in a gentle tone.

"He doesn't think that Rambaldi literally meant this woman was going to end or devastate the world. No one is really sure of where to go from there…"

"But people are working on it," Sydney finished Vaughn's sentence. "I know. So what do I do now?"

Vaughn took a deep breath. "Honestly, the CIA has no idea if there's anything you can do to help the situation."

"But you have an opinion, right?" Sydney asked.

"You know I do." Vaughn smiled. "Dixon and I had a conversation the other day."

"How'd that go?" Sydney knew that Vaughn was having a tough time getting Dixon to trust him. The fact that both men served as her partner in almost every mission she went on as a double agent made their relationship slightly strained.

"Not too bad. I think he's coming around now that he's transitioned into being an agent of the CIA. Anyway, I asked him his opinion on what you should do to help the situation. He agreed with me. We both think that Kaylee's going to be a major player in the upcoming weeks."

"That's a no-brainer. I mean, the CIA officially thinks she's the woman in the prophecy. Of course she's a major player."  


"Dixon and I think that we need to get her on our side."

"That's an understatement." Sydney paused. "And probably the toughest mission I could be given."

"You're good at what you do, Syd. I think you can handle it. I'm going to speak with your father. If he likes the idea, I'll bring it to Kendall. Hopefully the CIA can come up with some intel on secrets your mother has been keeping."

"You agree with me than that she has to be lying to Kaylee in some way?"

"I don't think someone so similar to you, Syd, could willingly follow Irina Derevko. It just doesn't make sense."

"I hope to god we're right." Sydney grabbed Vaughn's hand. "It's going to make things twice as easy as they could have been."

"That's going to take a little time," Vaughn admitted as Sydney pulled him in where her legs were dangling off of the desk.

"In the meantime," Sydney said with a smirk, "I think we should get to work on fulfilling some of my fantasies, Mr. Holster Man."


	22. The Next Step

Kaylee cringed at the sound of her mother screaming at the guards. Irina very rarely lost her cool, but when she did, you didn't want to be within a ten-mile radius. She was starting to think that the same thing held true for Sark. He was sitting across the room from her, switching from mumbling to yelling to himself about the stolen book. She searched the room for any sign that the thief may have left behind but couldn't come up with any.

Absentmindedly, she mumbled, "Must have been Sydney."

"What did you say?" Sark asked even though he had heard her completely.

"Well I was just thinking that whoever stole this book left behind no trace of having been here. Therefore, it must have been someone who's really good at the whole stealth thing. It would only make sense if it were Sydney. Isn't she always the one to foil your well thought out plans?"

"True," Sark admitted. "But how would Sydney have known that I retrieved that book? And did she really know how important it was?"

Kaylee didn't have time to answer because her mother chose that moment to reenter her office. As soon as the door shut, Irina's face switched from an angry one to an exhausted one. Sark and Kaylee waited patiently for her to explain the damage.

"I'd like to say that this isn't a major setback, but it is," Irina began. "That book probably contained the biggest clue to Rambaldi and his true prophecy. I did read it over so I vaguely have an idea of what it's about, but I don't want to move on what it says without properly checking it at least a few more times."

"So, that leaves us with nothing," Sark commented.

"Why don't we just steal it back?" Kaylee suggested. Sark gave her an annoyed look. "What?"

"We can't just waltz into CIA headquarters in L.A. and take the book back. Security's too great, and I don't think we have enough strength to confront Sydney if we ran into her."

"I can't help it if she beat you up." Kaylee smiled at Sark. "But I really think that I could get the book away from her."

"No," Irina said, putting an end to the discussion. "I don't want you encountering Sydney unless it's been a meeting that I set up. It's already bad enough that you saw her in Madrid."

"Why does it have to be so sectioned off?" Kaylee asked. "I mean, I have a right to see my sister."

Irina gazed calmly at her daughter. "Don't play games with me, darling. You are not attached to Sydney in any way, and you know it. You couldn't give a shit about her." Irina stood up and made her way to the door. "I can't just sit around waiting. I'm going to try to organize some countermove if that's even possible."

"What now?" Kaylee asked Sark as soon as her mother had left the room.

"I think the ball is in the CIA's court. We're going to have to wait for them to make a move." Sark paused. There was something he clearly didn't want to say to her.

"Say it," she demanded.

"The move they make will probably be on you."

"I can handle them."

"That's what you think now. Just be prepared."

"I promise." Kaylee grinned at his concern. "Why are you so worried?"

Sark stiffened up. This was a subject he did not want to breach at this moment. "I think your mother needs my help. I'll see you later." With that, he was out the door.

"Yeah. I guess." Kaylee flopped into a chair in frustration. "He is such a hard egg to crack."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Sydney returned with Vaughn to headquarters fully intended to brief everyone on her suggested plan of action. She had no idea how her father did it, but he managed to assemble every single person and thing she needed.

"Agent Bristow, can you explain why we're all here?" Director Kendall asked. It was against protocol for an agent to call a meeting between themselves, their colleagues, and their superiors.

"We're getting nowhere with the Rambaldi investigation," Sydney began. She saw Marshall's face droop a little. "Except for Marshall's work on deciphering Rambaldi's diary." She smiled to herself when he quickly perked back up. "I think that we need to stop tip toeing around the issue. My sister is the woman in Rambaldi's prophecy. Let's treat her like any other Rambaldi artifact. Send me in and I'll steal her."

"And how do you propose successfully doing that?" Kendall asked.

"I don't think my mother and Sark have let her into the full truth about their investigation. She told me that she knew exactly the people they were, but I either don't believe that's completely true or I think that she does know who they are and has nowhere to turn to."

"So, you're just going to walk in and say come with me and she's supposed to just go?"

"I understand, Director Kendall, that it's not going to be easy. But I really think I can persuade my sister. I don't think she wants to be a part of the game she got flung into." Sydney paused. "Having her in CIA custody will be a great asset to our cause."

"Let me think about it." Kendall got up and left the briefing room.

Sydney groaned. That whole thing did not go as well as she had planned.

"Come on, Syd." Vaughn placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Let's go over some of the new developments with the Rambaldi diary."

  
"I know this is just a cleverly disguised distraction rather than a necessary task, but right now, I'm game for anything."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Sydney and Vaughn were trying to list and brainstorm meanings of the word 'render' when Director Kendall approached with his decision. He looked agitated.

"I want you to find her and try to convince her to join us. I don't want this happening against her will. At least not yet. If she doesn't want to come with you, don't force it. I think you'll have plenty of chances to convince her if this one fails."

Sydney thanked the Director as he turned to leave. "Oh my god. I never thought he'd actually listen to me and he'd go for the idea."

"You learn something new everyday," Vaughn said. Even though he had suggested this mission to Sydney in the first place, he still wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of her running after her sister. The way he rationalized it if it was easy enough to get her sister to come over to the CIA's side, what's keeping Kaylee from persuading Sydney to join her mother's organization?

"I'm going to get down to the mission set-up area. See if they can't drag up some of my old wigs. I don't want Kaylee to know I'm coming," Sydney said.

"You know, it's almost an official rule that if you were something bright and attention grabbing, your target is less likely to notice you."

"I am not wearing that blue plastic pillowcase that they try to pass of as a dress." Sydney threw her hands up. "No way. No matter what you tell me."

Vaughn laughed. "I wasn't referring to that absolutely fabulous dress. I was actually thinking that maybe you should wear the bright red wig you wore the first day we met."

"You're so damn thoughtful." Sydney looked around the room and realized that no one was watching. She gave Vaughn a quick kiss. "Wish me luck."

"Luck." As much as he believed in her, he knew that she would need it.


	23. Questions Needing To Be Asked

Sydney followed the CIA directions to the house that they assumed Kaylee was staying at. She was surprised to realize that it wasn't the same house that she stole the Rambaldi book from or the main house of their mother's operations. It was a small cottage on the outskirts of Paris with enough of a yard to keep whatever happened in the cottage private. Praying that there was no security around the perimeter of the house, Sydney went closer to inspect. 

The door appeared to be casually armed with an average door lock. Sydney knew that the one lock couldn't be the only one on the door. The other locks were probably too tough for her to manually pick so the walking through the front door option was out. Sydney continued around the house searching for other ways to enter.

"No way she would be stupid enough to leave windows wide open," Sydney though to herself. On closer inspection, she realized that she was indeed stupid enough. The window in the kitchen was propped open just a crack with a small twig. Sydney hoped that no one was downstairs and quickly lifted the window open all the way.

She slid in the open window and found herself in what she would normally think was a cottage that had been abandoned for the year. However, if the CIA said her sister was staying here, her sister was staying here.

There was a woman's voice speaking softly upstairs. Sydney decided to follow it in hopes that it belonged to Kaylee. Otherwise, she had probably broken into the wrong cottage. "Which is never good.," she thought to herself.

As she tiptoed up the stairs, she heard the woman's voice sharply cut off and then there was silence. Not one to be cautious in situations that could be potentially dangerous, Sydney began to hurry to the room she thought the voice was coming from. She flung the door open and put herself into a solid attack position. 

The room was empty.

"I hope this cottage isn't haunted," Sydney said out loud.

"Nope," Sydney heard the woman's voice say. Next she heard the click of a gun's safety being clicked off.

"Well, at least I found you," Sydney said, trying to look on the bright side of the situation.

"But you also found the barrel of my gun," Kaylee answered. "What the hell are you doing here, Sydney?"

"I needed to talk with you. And it would be a lot easier if you stopped pointing that gun at me."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Kaylee motioned to a chair in the corner. "However, feel free to have a seat. The gun will stay pointed at you, but if you behave, that will be the only uncomfortable thing that will happen to you."

Sydney sat down without saying a word.

"You wanted to talk. So talk."

"I was hoping that you would be a little more hospitable. I'm here to offer you a deal from the CIA."

"Let me guess. If I join you, then neither Mom or Sark will get hurt?" Kaylee said patronizingly.

"No. If you join me, then you won't end up dead." 

"And you think that's going to sway me over to your side?"

"No, not really. That was the CIA's deal. It wasn't my deal. I know you love Mom, Kaylee. You love her about as much as I love our father. I could never abandon him. But Dad's not like Mom. She's lying to you, Kaylee. That's all her life is. One big lie. You need to start realizing that even though you're her daughter she will still use you if the plan calls for it. She's using you now to get under my skin and keep me from doing my job."

Kaylee held the hand that wasn't holding the gun to stop Sydney's speech. "I only have two words for you. Project Christmas. Dad lied to you as much if not more than Mom has ever lied to me. My life was a choice. I chose to be a spy, but our Dad took that choice away from you. Don't try to paint me a pretty picture about how your side of the family is the noble one. You don't know Mom well enough. If you did, you may understand the reasons why she's been forced to do the things she's done in the past."

"Maybe you can enlighten me," Sydney said.

"It's not my job. If Mom thought you could handle it, she would have told you already."

"Kaylee, our Mother lied to our father from the moment she met him to the day she staged her own death. Dad's the best agent I've ever seen when it comes to creating aliases. He's also the first one to see through someone's deception. Irina Derevko had him fooled completely. She has you fooled, too. Please come with me. I'm not going to force you to stay in the CIA's custody. I just want you to give it a try. See how our organization is run. If you still think we're the bad guys and Mom's organization is the good guys, you can leave. I promise."

"I never claimed the CIA was the bad guys. You do good work. The only problem is you'll never make any progress with your conservative tactics. The only way this Rambaldi mystery will be solved is through drastic action."

"So the answer's no?" Sydney asked.

"No, I will not be joining you today."

"Okay." Sydney visibly relaxed in her chair. "I'm not leaving just yet though. However, the business portion of this meeting is over. You can put down the gun."

Kaylee thought it over for a moment and then returned the gun to the holster sitting on the bed. She figured if need be she could take Sydney out with her bare hands. "What is there left to discuss?" she asked.

"I don't know exactly. I just want to know a little more about you. I mean, yes we're on different sides professionally. But you're still the little sister I never knew I had. I think I have the right to get to know a little."

"Anything information you really wanted to know, the CIA would have for you in their files. Why don't you start there?"

"Do you hate me?" Sydney said with a laugh.

"Yes," Kaylee answered. "Does that scare you?"

"No. It confused me, but I'm not scared. Why do you hate me? You barely even know me."  
  
"I know you. Or at least I know people like you. You're the rule followers. The ones who will break them but only if the world depends on it. You're straight-laced and you do everything right. You're perfect. The only part of your life that isn't perfect is you keep losing people. Why don't you ask me the question you really want to know the answer to?"

"How about first you ask me the question I know you want to ask? Why have I been the only one who's been in contact with you? Why hasn't our father tried to see you?"  


"And what makes you think I care?" Kaylee tried to cover. Sydney's words had hit a little too close to home.

"You care. I know you do. Dad's having a little trouble adapting to the situation though he'd be the last one to admit it. He loves me with all of his heart, and it took him years after Mom decided to kill off her life as Laura Bristow for him to be able to even look at me. When he looked at me, all he could see was Mom and the hurt she caused him. It's going to take him a little time to adjust to another reminder of the pain she inflicted upon him. Trust me. He will want to see you. Just give it time."

Kaylee nodded, hoping that Sydney didn't see the tears that she could feel welling up in her eyes. She knew that she needed to change the subject and fast. "Aren't you going to ask me the question you came here to ask?"

"And what question is that?" Sydney said, playing dumb.

"What am I doing with Sark?"  


Sydney laughed. "I was slowly working up to that one. But yeah, what the hell is your relationship with him? He's not like us, Kaylee. Bristow women don't mix with cold-blooded killers."

"You forget," Kaylee said with a snicker. "I'm not a Bristow woman. I'm a Derevko. We are cold-blooded killers. It only fits that we form relationships with others of our kind."

"Okay, let's forget the whole murder angle. Your relationship with Sark is never going to go anywhere, Kaylee. I've seen Sark use his charm on women a million times. He's almost swayed me once or twice by it. He doesn't fall in love. He just uses you until you're not beneficial to him anymore."

"I never said that I wanted him to love me. And how are you so certain he's using me?"

"I saw the way you looked at him in Madrid. He's more than a man who's good in bed to you."

Kaylee looked shocked. "And how do you know that he's good in bed, Agent Bristow? Have we been having some inappropriate fantasies about the bad boy?" Sydney sent Kaylee a look that burned into her. "Guess I wasn't too far off on that one."

"Have you two even defined your relationship at all?"

"Unlike you, I don't always need boundaries or definitions. Sometimes it's a lot more easy and fun to go with the flow of things. You should try it the next time your life spins out of control. Because my research tells me that happens a lot to you."

"I'd like to say that I missed having a sister who innately hates me in my life, but I can't say that I do."

"If I piss you off, then why don't you just leave?" Kaylee suggested.

"You still haven't told me your feelings for Sark and why exactly you have any feeling towards him."  


"God damnit! Don't try to fix me, Sydney. I'm not broken." She paused. "No matter how much you think I am."

Sydney realized that the conversation wasn't going to progress any further. "At least not today," she thought. "But at least I planted some seeds of thought in her head." Sydney stood up and made her way to the door. When she was about to leave the room, she turned back towards Kaylee and just stared for a minute.

"What is it now?" Kaylee asked. "Do you want to know if I really am a cold-blooded murder like my mother or Sark? Or do you want to say that you'll give me time to think over your offer? Or did you think of another way you can try to fix me? What the hell do you want from me?"

"I was just wondering if I could use the front door instead of climbing back out the kitchen window."

"Oh." Kaylee pushed her way in front of Sydney and walked downstairs to the front door. She quickly punched in the code and scanned her handprint. The door's locks made a satisfying click. Kaylee turned to go back upstairs but was surprised to find herself being pulled into Sydney's arms.

"No matter what, you're my sister. I don't know you, but that doesn't mean I don't instinctively love you. And someday you'll learn that everyone is broken in someway."

"Even you?" Kaylee said with a slight smile.

"Especially me." Sydney turned her back on her sister and walked down the long driveway.


	24. Confrontation

Kaylee watched her sister get into a car that was extremely noticeable as government issued. She was surprised that Sydney had managed to stay so long in Kaylee's own house without someone in her mother's organization realizing she was there. Also it was surprising that Sydney had managed to stay in her presence. Usually the biting, hurtful comments Kaylee flung at her visitors had them running screaming after a few minutes. This time, Kaylee had been extreme mean just to try to get Sydney gone sooner.

Her reason for the extra meanness pulled up in a familiar Jag within minutes of Sydney's departure.

"Damn it," Kaylee said. She was too worked up by her sister to deal with Sark. "Damn you Sydney!"

"Is it official Hate Sydney day?" Sark asked as he walked in the door with a huge bouquet of dendrobium orchids.

"What is this?" Kaylee asked as she took them from his hands. "They're beautiful."

"Straight from Hawaii."  


"You flew me in flowers?" she asked.

"I thought it would be a nice gesture."

Kaylee smiled and went into the kitchen to put the orchids in some water. And to clear her head a little. She had just sworn to Sydney that what Sark and she had was not a relationship. But then he had to go and do something as simple and relationship-like as bring her flowers.

"You don't do that when you're using someone," she muttered to herself as she cut the stems. "Or when you're just having a good time."

As much as she hated it, she knew that her conversation with Sydney had stirred up a few things inside of her, and there was no way to solve the problem unless she actually talked with Sark. "This is going to be hard," she thought.

She had just prepared herself to turn around and march back into the other room to confront Sark when she felt a pair of arms snake around her.

"I couldn't wait for you to come back," Sark whispered in her ear as he gently nibbled on her earlobe.

Kaylee mustered up all her strength and pushed herself away from Sark. "We have to talk." She paused. "Sydney was here."

"Bristow came here?" Sark asked thoroughly confused.

"Yeah. Another effort to get me to leave the dark side."

"Did you ask her about your father?" Sark inquired. Jack Bristow's complete lack of any contact with his second daughter was weighing heavily on her mind these days. He couldn't really sympathize considering his father abandoned him when he was little though not before subjecting him to years of physical and mental abuse. But no one knew about that part of his life.

"Actually, she volunteered the information. I guess we must think alike because she knew that was what I wanted to ask her about most." Kaylee paused. She was still having an internal debate about whether or not to fully clue Sark in to the conversation that had taken place about him only minutes earlier. It could go either really well or frightfully wrong.

"Say whatever you're debating if you should say." Sark grabbed Kaylee's hands as he was talking and began to pull her close to him again.

"No." Kaylee shoved him back a little. "I don' t think you're going to like what I have to tell you, and I'd prefer to keep myself out of arm's reach when I do. That and I can't really think too well when you're close to me."

"What did Sydney say to you?" Sark's protective side was rearing its head.

"Why do you do that? Honestly?" Kaylee asked.

"Do what?"

"Act so protective over me. I have to know. Do you feel obligated because of who my mother is?"

Sark laughed. "How many times are we going to need to go over this? I don't feel an obligation to be with you because of Irina and I'm not using you because you look like Sydney and she's the one I really want to be with.

"What are you doing?" Kaylee asked.

Sark looked at her confused. "Again. What did Sydney say to you? Because the questions you're asking me are coming out of the blue."

"It was the same routine she pulled in Madrid. She reminded me that you've murdered people and are dangerous to be around. It's nothing we haven't gone over a million times. I know who you are."

"So if you've heard the things she said before, why did it upset you so much this time?"

"Because she changed her strategy." Kaylee shrugged back the tears that were brewing slowly in her eyes. She didn't want to give Sark any clues as to how she was feeling. "She said that you were only using me to get ahead. That when this whole Rambaldi business was over, you would drop me without much thought or remorse. I have to know if you're using me or not. I can deal with it if you are. I just have to know."

"It's not true," Sark denied. "I'm not using you."

"That's what I told her. But it's awfully hard for me to believe it. You have a very interesting past. Full of using people to meet your needs. I've done my own background check on you, too."

"Goes without saying in this business," Sark commented.

"You've never had a woman in your life, with the exception of my mother and Sydney, for more than a week. You live from day to day never making attachments, never tying yourself down to anything or anyone. Why all of the sudden would you start doing that? With someone you barely know? Who happens to be the daughter of your employer? Who also is the key player in a five hundred year old prophecy?"

"That's just a coincidence. And anyway, you and I happened before we learned that you were definitely the woman in the prophecy. I have no ulterior motives when it comes to you." Sark looked at Kaylee pleadingly, hoping she would believe what he was saying and knowing that she had no real reason to. He never had a single problem getting people to believe him before. That's why he couldn't understand why he was having such a difficult time convincing Kaylee.

"Sark, every woman you've ever slept with was a way for you to get ahead in a mission or to gain something you wanted. There's never been someone who you just cared about. Who you wanted in your life for a completely selfish reason. So I don't think it's quite so strange for me to believe that you don't care about me. At least as anything more than someone to fill up time with."

"Kaylee, you're my partner in this organization. Of course, I care about you."

"You're missing the point," Kaylee said trying to mask her frustration. "I'm not talking about our work relationship. I need you to define whatever the hell this is. This whole after-hours thing we have going on."

"Kaylee, if you want to live this life, you need to know that you can't set boundaries or try to define things. It just doesn't work. Living life day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute, that's the way to be successful."

"Don't patronize me. I'm not some little child who doesn't understand this world. I know that if you want to survive you have to keep yourself free of any and all attachments. So don't give me that crap!"

Sark noticed the fury building in her eyes and didn't know exactly where to go from there. That lack of knowing the next step irritated him to no end. "If you know you shouldn't have attachments, what the hell are you trying to do in this conversation?"

"I just want to know. Am I the same as every other woman you've been with? Is this whole thing new for you? Am I just a convenient distraction? Just someone there for you to use to release all that pent-up adrenaline you have after a mission? Just someone to fuck and forget when the mission's over?"

"That's out of line. Why the hell would you say that?"

"Because that's what you treat me like half the time," Kaylee screamed. She tried to lower her voice a little. "I'm not like every other girl."  
  
"That's plainly obvious. No one has ever pulled this kind of shit on me. I don't have relationships. I can't no matter how hard I try. It's a part of who I am. You're going to have to get used to it."

"I could get used to that. I really could," Kaylee admitted. She took a deep breath knowing that this comment was going to hurt her a hell of a lot to say. "What I can't get used to is wasting my time on a man who doesn't love me as much as I love him." Kaylee looked away from Sark. He noticed for the first time that tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"I don't know what to say," Sark admitted after a few moments of pure silence.

"That says it all right there." Kaylee looked at him once last time and walked out of the room.


	25. Snowy Confessions

Hoping that Sark would know what was good for him and stay downstairs and out of her way, Kaylee began to throw a few random clothes in a bag. She had no idea that Sark was going to be so stubborn. All she wanted him to admit was that they had a relationship no matter how odd of a relationship it was. Just to admit that this wasn't some fling like all of the other women he had encountered.

"Maybe I was just dreaming," she thought. "This whole thing was probably cooked up in my head. He was just having a little fun, and I let him have my heart. Moron."

She grabbed her bag off of the bed and prepared herself for another small confrontation with Sark. It was highly unlikely that she would manage to slip out the door without him noticing.

Amazingly, Kaylee made it all the way to her car out back before she heard him calling her name. Turning she saw him leaning against the doorframe of the back door. "Why does he always have to look so good? It makes this so much harder," Kaylee thought.

"Don't worry about it," she screamed back at him. "You can stay in the cottage for as long as you want. I don't mind."

Sark ran outside into the cold air without regard to the fact that he hadn't bothered to put on any sort of coat. "Where are you going?" he asked as soon as he got close enough for her to hear him without yelling.

"I honestly don't know," Kaylee said with a fake smile. She hoped that he couldn't hear the lie in her voice. She didn't have the heart to explain to him where she had decided to run off to. "But I can't stay here."

Sark didn't say anything so Kaylee took that as her cue to leave. She started the car and pulled away as slow as she could. Her goal was to give him ample time to stop her if that's what he wanted. She had to know for sure that his decision was to let her walk away from him.

As soon as she had driven the car out of sight, she let the tears she had been holding up inside flood out. Before long she was hysterically laughing and sobbing so hard she had to pull over. Unlocking the driver's side door, she got out of the car and stumbled through the snow in an attempt to calm herself down in the cold.

"This isn't a fucking movie," she screamed at the top of her lungs. "And that man sure as hell isn't your knight in shining armor, you idiot!"

Kaylee plopped herself down in the middle of the field she had been stumbling through. She had actually expected when Sark came running out of the house towards her he was coming to confess his undying love for her like some cheesy romantic movie. Her life was like a movie in so many ways that it was shocking when he didn't follow the script. It helped her remember that her life isn't scripted.

And it hurt like hell more often than not.

She hadn't really been dealing with the consequences of the situation she had landed herself in when she first agreed to start working for her mother. Her mother had explained that her whole world would become a roller coaster ride of emotions, but she hadn't believed her. Kaylee chuckled to herself thinking about the reaction she had had to her mother's explanation of the spy life. How hard was it on someone to steal a few lousy objects and break into a handful of global monuments?

"I was naïve in so many ways. Matter of fact, I still am," she thought to herself. "Especially matters of the heart." Sark had held so much back from her that she had assumed it was a sign he was scared. She had formed this whole theory in her head that he was just afraid of the real emotions he was forming in regards to her. He didn't know how to deal with her. That was why he never really talked about what was going on. Now she understood that wasn't the case.

"I guess I really did mean nothing to him," she whispered.

"Nothing to who?" said a voice behind her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she said as she narrowed her face in suspicion.

"It took me all of two seconds after you left to realize that our conversation was never really done," Sark said as he crouched down beside her.

"I think you said all that needed to be said to get your point across," Kaylee snarled. "I get it. I'm nothing to you. Just like every other girl was nothing to you. A little speed bump in the highway that is your life, if you want to get all poetic about it."

"More like a road block," Sark said with a chuckle.

"Was that supposed to be cute?"

"I was going for cute. Didn't come off so well, huh?"

Kaylee couldn't help but smile a little. He had that effect on her. "What do you want, Sark?"

"I want to know where you're going."

"No, you don't. It will just confuse you more. And it'll make me graduate from a road block to an eighteen-wheeler driving straight toward you."

"Kaylee, I honestly want to know where you're going. Not just because your mother would kill me if she knew I just let you run off to god knows where." Sark paused. "Though that does give me a little more reason to have you tell me. I want to know for my own personal satisfaction. You mean something to me."

Kaylee thought over what he had said for a moment and decided the best answer to his question was the truth. "I'm going to Los Angeles. To the CIA headquarters. I'm going to talk with Sydney and my father."

Sark nodded. "I had a feeling that was your destination." He stood up and held his hand out to help her up off of the snow. "Let's go."

Kaylee took a deep breath and started to walk back to the car. She had to admit that the fact they were talking was a better scenario than the one she left him in back at the house. Just because their relationship as lovers was over didn't mean she wanted to give up on him completely.

As they neared the car, Kaylee noticed Sark hanging back a little.

"Where's your car?" she asked.

"I had one of the security guys who are not so cleverly hidden at your cottage drop me off."

Kaylee gave him a funny look. She never seemed to be able to understand his rationale. She opened the driver's side door and slid in, unsure if it would be appropriate for her to offer him a ride back to the cottage. She noticed that next to her poor excuse for packing was another bag.

Rolling down the passenger's side window, she asked, "What is this bag?"

"Oh, that'd be my stuff."

She looked at him puzzled. Sighing she got out of the car once more and walked over to where he was standing. "Explain."

Sark took a deep breath. "Bear with me here. I don't think I've ever done this before."

Kaylee didn't know if she could take what he was about to tell her. Then again, he had pretty much called her a distraction from his normal life earlier so it couldn't get much worse.

"I told you that you mean a lot to me. I really meant that. I just didn't realize what that actually meant. If that makes sense."

"Not at all," Kaylee said. She crossed her arms in front of herself. "Try again."

Sark walked over the few feet to where Kaylee was standing and pulled her right hand out from her crossed arms. He began to touch her fingers lightly with his. After a few seconds, he started talking without looking up at her. "Sorry. I thought I needed you to be a little closer if I'm going to get the courage to say this."

"You are nervous?" Kaylee said in disbelief. She wanted to snap her hand back from his grasp, but for some reason she couldn't make her body do what she was telling it.

Sark took another deep breath, still not looking up. "Here goes," he whispered. "When I say I care about you, Kaylee, I don't just mean that I worry about you. Well, I do worry about you. You know that. It's just…"  


"You're acting strange, Sark. Very uncharacteristic of you."

Sark grabbed her other hand and looked into her eyes. "Kaylee, I care about you more than I've ever cared about anyone in my life, including your mother. I love you. If going to the CIA is what you have to do, I'd rather be a prisoner of the U.S. government than live without you in my life."

Kaylee was speechless.

"I know this probably comes as a huge shock to you after our last conversation. I didn't know what to tell you then. You surprised the hell out of me bringing up the whole topic."

"That was the point," Kaylee said. "You weren't supposed to have any time to put up the usual barriers you use to keep your emotions in check. It didn't work so well, though."

"No, it didn't." Sark paused. "Do you believe me?"

"I want to. I really do," Kaylee said. "But it such a drastic shift from what you were saying less than an hour ago."

"I was just trying to say what I thought you wanted to hear. I didn't think you wanted me to actually be serious about this." Sark made a large sweeping motion. "Everything in our lives is so unreal. I figured that you didn't really want to be tied down. That and I was scared of the idea of caring."

"I could have told you that."

"You're so wise, kid."

"Oh, don't you start calling me kid again!" Kaylee screamed.

"What are you going to do about it?" Sark said with his trademark smirk.

"Absolutely nothing." Kaylee said as she walked into his arms. "I think we've done enough talking for the rest of day."

"So, are we going to L.A.?" Sark asked.

"No, I don't think so. I never really wanted to go there. I just thought that putting an ocean between you and me would help dull the hurt a little," Kaylee admitted.

"I'm sorry for that," Sark whispered. He kissed the top of her head, lightly.

"It's okay. You've made it all better now." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Thanks for being brave."

"Thanks for knocking some sense into me."

"Anytime." Kaylee smiled up at him. "Anytime."


	26. Trump Card

Sydney pulled off the black sweater she had been wearing since two days ago and made her way into the bedroom. The early morning light was blasting through all the windows, bathing the apartment in a golden light. She was pleased with the homey feeling she got every time she returned from a mission. It had been slightly altered over the last few months, but it still gave her the same tug of happiness in her gut.

Francie had moved out, with Sydney's permission, so that she could find a place closer to her restaurant. True to karma, Will suddenly needed a place to stay. Turns out the boss wasn't too happy when he found out that one of his employees was sleeping with her daughter. And not just any employee but the one who had been fired from his previous job for heroin use and story fabrication. Not a good combination.

Sydney settled down into the bed and felt Vaughn's arms unconsciously slip around her waist. "And there was that," she thought. He had moved in shortly after the takedown of SD-6. Making up for lost time, he claimed. Sydney didn't mind it in the least. It was extremely comforting to have his close by whenever she needed to hear his voice.

"You were gone on your mission an awful long time," Vaughn mumbled in his half-asleep daze.

"It took me a while to find the right time to sneak into Kaylee's cottage."

"How'd it go?" Vaughn asked. He sat up and quickly rubbed his eyes to wake up as much as possible.

"As good as can be planned. Of course she didn't come running to this side. But I think I'm making progress. I know I definitely planted some seeds of doubt into her mind." Sydney stood up and began to change into sweats.

"About what exactly?"

"About Sark." When Sydney saw Vaughn's surprised look, she elaborated. "He was the easy target. Her emotions are written on her sleeve, and they were screaming Sark at me loud. I knew that they were having a relationship. That was painfully obvious in Madrid, as I stated in my report about that incident. Well, Sark doesn't really do relationships, definitions, attachments, etcetera. I let Kaylee know that, and her mind took over the rest."

"Did you learn anything useful besides the fact that Sark is your sister's Achilles heel?" 

"You could say that I picked up on a few things." Sydney motioned for Vaughn to follow her into the kitchen. She took two bowls from one of the cupboards and wasted no time filling them with her favorite sugary cereal.

"This is my kind of debrief," Vaughn said with a smile. "So you were saying you figured out something while in Paris?"

"There is definitely something my mother isn't telling Kaylee. And she's not telling whatever it is to Sark either. I couldn't figure out what was so important that she was keeping both of them in the dark. But I'm sure the CIA will figure it out just about the time that they finish deciphering Rambaldi's real prophecy. How's that going?"

"Slow. If we're lucky, there'll be something concrete in about a year."

"Syd! You're home," Will exclaimed as he entered the kitchen. "Vaughn."

"Hey, Will."

"So can you tell me where you were or is this top secret government stuff?" he asked as he grabbed Sydney's bowl away from her and poured himself some more cereal.

"Hey!" she cried.

Will took a few more bites out of the bowl and pushed it back to Sydney. He smiled at her. "Please don't beat me up."

The three sat there eating in silence. Will's unanswered question hung over all of their heads.

"Go ahead and tell him," Vaughn said. "Will, you may just want to sit down somewhere a little more firm than a kitchen stool."

"Big happenings, huh?" he said as he sat down on the coach.

"Will," Sydney started. "Your dreams just came true. I have a sister."

"No way!"

"My mother raised her in France. She was pregnant with Kaylee when she staged her own death twenty-four years ago. Kaylee's been impersonating me on missions to steal specific documents and objects for my mother. When the CIA learned of her existence, they brought me in on the case. I've spent the last month or so feeling out the situation and trying to get her to come to L.A. for a more in-depth questioning."

"If she's as stubborn as you and your father, I'd guess that she isn't coming to L.A. anytime soon," Will commented.

"That's an understatement," Vaughn added. "The investigation is at a standstill, though. So you'll be seeing a lot of Sydney around the house."

Will sent Sydney a mischievous smile. "What?" she asked.

"I think I'm going to wish that you had a twin next," he said.

Sydney chucked a pillow at him. Before she could move to start hitting him with her fists, her beeper and Vaughn's beeper began buzzing simultaneously.

"That's never good," Will said through the pillow that was being held on his face.

"No, it never is," Sydney admitted. "We should probably get dressed and head in. I'm willing to bet that Marshall made a break-through."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Sydney was surprised to find out that Marshall didn't make the break-through, and it had nothing to do with the Rambaldi prophecy, fake or real. The CIA had just figured out the information that Irina had been withholding from everyone.

Kendall looked over the small group of people gathered in his office. Dixon and Marshall were carrying on a conversation about the new gadget Marshall had created. Vaughn was talking a little too intimately with Sydney while her father scowled at them from across the room. And then there was Weiss looking like a fish out of water in the middle.

"Agent Bristow," Kendall began, calling everyone's attention to him, "I know that you probably think that you'll be going on a mission.

"That seems to be the standard protocol with a summons like this," Sydney said.

"This meeting was called because I wanted to let you all know. I'm pulling Agent Bristow off active duty." 

"What?" Vaughn exclaimed. "Why would you pull the best agent this office has off of duty at such a critical time?"

"That's the thing," Kendall admitted. "The time right now is not that critical to any of the work we've been doing. One of our undercover agents in Irina Derevko's organization just sent us a crucial report. It appears that your mother, Sydney, hasn't been telling your sister the complete truth about what is going on, just like you suspected. It appears that Derevko does truly cares for your sister. The information she has been withholding appears to be for what she had deemed your sister's own good."

"What is this information?" Sydney asked. She was already tired of Kendall dancing around the point. She really wasn't in the mood to put up with it when the subject of discussion had to do with her family.

"Your sister, as the woman in the prophecy, is going to have to make an extremely difficult decision in the next few months. She's going to have to choose between the two sides of her family."

"So, it's a choice between Sydney and Jack or her mother?" Weiss asked. "Sir, no disrespect to any of the Bristows, but that choice is no contest. She's not going to choose a sister and father she never knew she had over the mother who has raised her."

"That's what Derevko would like us to think. It seems that she wasn't always the most attentive mother to Kaylee. She didn't have time to give her daughter the attention she need. She was too busy setting up a strong foundation for her organization."

"Why do any of these new developments require my partner to be pulled off active duty?" Dixon asked. This change affected him as much if not more than everyone else present. 

"I don't want Agent Bristow to be going on missions. I want her to have a stable life here in L.A. And I want her to always be very easy to contact. You need to form a strong relationship with your sister as soon as possible. I want you to do everything necessary to make her inevitable decision easier."

"Do you honestly think that's all my mother is hiding from her?" Sydney asked. She looked at her father for support.

"Irina Derevko is a cruel woman," he said. "There's no way that she would have told our daughter everything that was available to her. I suggest that the CIA keep in contact with those undercover informants for the time being. If we can find more on Derevko, it could be crucial to swaying Kaylee's decision."

"Point taken, Jack," Kendall said. "I won't pull the informants out of their positions for the time being. Agent Bristow, I've arranged a desk for you in the building. I want you to help us in our analysis of the situation with your sister and with the Rambaldi investigation. It should keep you busy until it's time for you to go back to active status." He shut the folder he had been looking at. "I think that's all the needs to be discussed for now."

Sydney stood up quickly and left the room before she started shouting at Kendall for making such a stupid decision. "The only way I've ever been able to help is in the field," she hissed at Vaughn as they walked to his desk. "I don't know how my helping with investigations is going to lead us anywhere."

"Give it a chance, Sydney," Vaughn offered. "I think you're going to be stuck doing it for a while."

"That doesn't mean she has to be happy about it," Jack said as he approached the pair. "Can I speak with you for a moment, Sydney?"

"Sure," she agreed. She gave Vaughn a mostly pitiful smile and followed her father to a semi-obscure corner. "What's the matter?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you were going to be okay with being strapped to a desk for an indeterminate period of time."  
  
"I'll get through it. Listen, Dad. I wanted to ask you something. Why haven't you tried to make contact with Kaylee like I've been doing? I had to make up a lie when I was trying to sway Kaylee to come to L.A. I just wanted to know the truth."

"I honestly don't know if I can see her without hating her. I've seen the pictures of her. She's the spitting image of your mother, and I just can't promise that I won't do something drastic and unwise when I meet her. I need time to analyze the situation."

"That's basically what I told her," Sydney admitted. "Except I threw it a lot more focus on your emotions. I thought it might help persuade her. But nothing seems to work."

"It will eventually," Jack admitted. "Besides, you have a trump card on her now."

"What?" Sydney asked.

  
"Me."


	27. A Night of Wow

Kaylee watched the sun set over the horizon from the balcony of the home she had lived in for the past three months with Sark. It had all started with an offhand suggestion from her mother to take a little time as far away from Paris as she could get. And Newcastle, Australia was about as far as she could think of.

She hadn't thought twice about asking Sark to leave her mother's side and come with her. He didn't give it a second thought, either, and immediately packed up his things. 

Kaylee hadn't spoken with her mother in all the months she's been gone. To her, it was easier that way. Easier to stay out of the business. Easier to forget Sydney and the father she had never met. Easier to imagine a life without deceit and deception. With Sark. Easier to live the lie than face the truth.

"I should have known you'd be out there," Sark said as he entered their penthouse suite.

"I watch the sunset every night. Of course you should have known," Kaylee said, turning to him with a smile. "How did your work go today?"

"Good, all things considered." Sark knew that Kaylee understood he still kept in contact with her mother. She knew that the business he conducted had something to do with her mother's organization. But she clearly never wanted to know what that connection was and what was happening in terms of the organization.

Keeping with her daily routine, Kaylee asked, "Everything okay?"

"Absolutely," Sark said pulling her from the balcony and into the room. "I missed you."

"You sure have gotten good at showing your emotions over the last few months," Kaylee said with a light laugh.

"What can I say?" Sark smirked. "I'm a changed man."

"So what's on the agenda for tonight? Did you still want to take me out to dinner?" she asked.

"Darling, that is what's been getting me through the day today. That and the thought of you wearing the new dress I picked out."

"The one you bought weeks ago and still haven't let me see?"

"That's the one." Sark motioned over to the closet. For the first time, Kaylee noticed the presence of a new garment bag. She squealed in delight and went running. "I'll leave you to your unwrapping. Try to be ready within the hour."

"I don't know," Kaylee said as she lightly fingered the material of the dress. "This dress might call for a lot more preparation than normal."

Sark simply smiled and walked out of the room.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Kaylee only kept him waiting for a few minutes past the hour he had given her to prepare. She just wanted everything to be perfect for him. He had been a lot more tense than normal the past couple weeks, and she knew he was really counting on this dinner to be a time where he could relax and let down his guard. She smiled at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "This dress should be an ample enough distraction," she thought.

The under dress was simple black halter dress that stopped at her upper thigh. A very sheer, silky material was attached at the waist to fall down to her knees in the front and her mid calf in the back. It had a vague floral pattern embroidered in it with black thread. Kaylee had recognized it as a Miriam Mone almost immediately. She had no idea how Sark had found a dress by one of the most exclusive Irish designers here in Australia, and frankly she didn't care to know the length of trouble he went to to get it.

"You look fabulous," Sark said as he entered the bathroom. "I knew that dress would suit you perfectly."

"Thank you," Kaylee said with a smile. "Where are we going to eat?" She grabbed her purse off of the table by the door and allowed Sark to help her into her coat.

"It's a surprise." Sark smirked.

"I should have known. Wipe that damn smirk off of your face. I know you love having the upper hand with me, but could you please pretend like it's not that huge a deal?"

Sark smiled and wiped his face clear of any emotion. Kaylee laughed and let him lead her out of the hotel and into his Jaguar. She couldn't get him to buy any other type of car even if she wanted him too. It was his thing.

They drove for about half of an hour silently sitting next to each other holding hands. A lot of the time they had spent together lately had been in silence because of the pure fact that they didn't really need to say anything to keep the atmosphere comfortable. Both knew that some day soon they were going to have to leave the little paradise they'd created and return to the hectic world. They were content to just absorb everything they had at this moment without commenting on it.

"We're here," Sark whispered, breaking into Kaylee's thoughts. He opened the car door for her and offered his arm. She found herself staring out across Sydney Harbor all it up.

"Guillaume at Bennelong," Kaylee said softly. "Did you know that this was my favorite restaurant when I was little? My mother always used to bring me with her when she had business in Sydney so that we could go to the Sydney Opera House. It always made me feel like such a grown-up to be able to see an opera and then come and eat in such a fancy restaurant."

"I know," Sark said with a smile. He led her inside. She was surprised to realize that no one else was in the restaurant.

"What did you do, Andrew?" she asked with her mouth hanging wide open.

"I wanted tonight to be special for you. And that means eliminating anything that could distract you." He slid her coat off of her shoulders and handed it to the attendant. "What do you say about warming up that dance floor before we eat?"

Kaylee smiled and slid into an easy waltz with the man she loved. "This whole night already feels like a fairytale," she admitted.

"Good. That was the reaction I was going for."

"And are you my Prince Charming?" she teased.

"We'll see."

By the time she had finished with her meal, Kaylee still hadn't adjusted to the absolute perfection of the night. She couldn't believe that Sark could plan this whole thing without her knowing.

"You're good at this," she whispered taking in her surroundings for the millionth time.

He smiled and grasped her hand. "We'll see about that in a minute or two."

"Why?" she asked with an eyebrow arced in curiosity. "Are you planning on something?"

"You could say that." Sark reached into his pocket and seemed to be fishing for something. "I have something else I wanted to give you."

  
"Was the dress not enough of a present that you thought you needed to get me more?" she teased as she held out her hand expectantly. She was surprised when, instead of a box, he placed a key in her hand.

"What is this to?" she asked. It was too small to be a key to a car or anything of that sort.

"See that box over there?" Sark pointed to a table about ten feet over. On the table was a very intimidating lock box that looked like not even the world's best thief could break into.

"Do not tell me that you want me to help you find a way to disable the security system on that box so that you can open it! Because I might have to kill you for ruining the evening, Sark," she hissed.

"Back to calling me by my last name?" he said playfully. Sobering a little, he continued, "There are no security precautions on the box except the box itself. Go open it."

Kaylee had no idea what was going on. Sark always acted a little shady, but it never involved this much shadiness. Shooting him a look of pure bewilderment, she walked over to the box silently praying that it had nothing to do with Rambaldi or her mother.

The key slipped in rather easily, and she slowly turned it until she heard the satisfying click of a lock letting go of its position. She lifted the box top open, which wasn't the easiest feat considering it weighed about as much as it looked like it would. Whatever she expected to see in the box, it wasn't what was actually in there.

She looked at Sark in amazement and rather skeptically. Smiling at her, he stood up for his seat and slowly waltzed over to where she was. He reached into the box and removed the platinum two-carat round ring which had taken him over a week to track down.

"I love you, Kaylee Julia Derevko. I've never said those words to any other person in my life. And honestly, I never want to say them to anyone else. You threw my whole life upside down, and I didn't like it one bit. But it turns out that you knew what you were doing because you made my life ten times better than it ever was. I would warn you that being part of my life would put you in constant danger, but you already know that. Which is why I feel comfortable asking you to let me slip this ring on your finger. I love you now and I will love you for as long as there is one single breath in my body. Will you marry me?"

Kaylee was speechless. She had dreamed of a million different ways that this very scene may occur, but she never honestly believed it would. Sark was the least likely man to ever want to settle down with someone for life. Which is why she couldn't even find the strength to breath, let alone answer him.

Sark looked at her expectantly. Even though he was a naturally cocky person, he wasn't overconfident in this situation. He had learned enough in his life to know that nothing could ever be for certain when it came to huge life decisions such as this. Kaylee's hesitation wasn't helping him at all, either.

Kaylee forced herself to breath and take a closer look at the ring that was still in Sark's hand. She looked up at him for the first time since he had come over to her. She couldn't believe what she saw. He was biting his lower lip, and his cocky smirk was nowhere to be found. His eyes were desperately trying to read any sort of expression in her face.

"If I didn't know better, I think that you were nervous, Mr. Sark," she said flashing a smile. Knowing he was waiting patiently to hear an answer, she felt her throat begin to choke up, and her eyes filled with tears. She did manage to choke out a very soft "yes" before her emotions took over.

"Did you just say yes?" Sark asked in awe.

"Yes, I will marry you," she said as she felt the tears flow down her face. "There was never a doubt in my mind that you were the one I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with. I knew from the very first moment I saw you." Sark smiled at her and slid the ring onto the hand. She stared down at it in wonder. "I just never thought this day would come."

"Me either," he said. He lightly touched her chin and turned it up towards his. Kaylee felt his lips lightly brush hers before igniting a passion they had both been building up. She couldn't comprehend the fact that she was kissing the man who wanted to be with her for the rest of his life.

Pulling away from him just a little, she look down at the ring he had slipped on her finger. "Wow" was all she could say.


	28. Learning the Truth

Kaylee yawned to herself as the morning light hit the top of her pillow where her head happened to be resting. She turned over to find Sark staring down at her.

"I can't believe you wouldn't take off the ring," he said.

"Darling, didn't you know it's always been my dream to make love with a fifteen thousand dollar ring on?" she joked. She smiled to herself and just took in the situation she found herself in. She was cuddled up next to the one man in the world who really understood her on a beautiful Australian morning. Said man had just proposed to her in one of the most amazing ways humanly possible with one of the greatest rings humanly possible. It was almost surreal.

"Okay," Kaylee said sitting up. She grabbed a shirt and pants that were laying in the general direction of the bed. "I've wallowed in my perfect world for long enough. What's going on with my mother?"

"That's a subject change," Sark commented. "But you're right. There is something going on with her organization. I figured that the engagement would put you in a good enough mood that you could handle this. We have to leave Newcastle by tonight."

"Why?" Kaylee knew she sounded whiny in every sense of the word. However, she knew that the time would come eventually, but she hadn't looked forward to it. She had made Newcastle her home in every sense of the word.

"Irina has had men doing non-stop research on the Rambaldi prophecies and their meaning. She thinks that she's made progress with one."

"Which one?" Kaylee asked.

"I don't know." She could tell that he was lying to her, but she didn't want to push the point. Not on a day like this.

"Okay. So we're leaving Newcastle. Where are we going to?"

"Where else? Back to Paris and the center of your mother's operations. No more sunshine and beaches, sorry. I think that she's going to throw both of us into the thick of it."

"It makes sense. It's probably been driving Sydney crazy that you and I disappeared with no warning signs. But by now she's let her guard down and she won't expect our sudden return. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised with the frantic life she leads that she doesn't even remember she had a sister."

"Did I ever tell you that you think like your mother?" Sark smiled.

"No, but I'll take that as a compliment."

"That's how I meant it." Sark stood up off of the bed and gave her a devilish grin. "I'm going to get a shower. Care to join me?"

"Give me some time to rest, would you?" Kaylee snorted. "I'm going to get some packing done. Maybe I'll surprise you in a bit."

Sark nodded and headed into the bathroom. She watched him close the door softly behind him. Turning her mind back to the job at hand and away from the extraordinary body of her fiancé, she realized that there was a lot more to do than she thought. Living in one place for three months really allowed one to accumulate a lot of stuff. "And I'm great at the accumulating thing," Kaylee murmured.

She began to rather roughly shove as much as of her stuff as possible into the duffel bags they had. The chore was so consuming that she became pretty much dead to the world around. Which is one of the worst mistakes a spy can make, as she well knew.

A hand reached from behind her and placed itself over her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Another hand quickly plastered her hands to her sides to keep her from fighting back.

"Don't scream and don't try anything," the voice hissed. "I'm not here to hurt you or kidnap you. I just want to share some information I have."

Kaylee nodded in agreement, figuring there wasn't much else to do. She might as well take a chance that this person is telling the truth and doesn't really intend on hurting her. Plus, it would be pretty ridiculous to try anything with Sark only thirty feet away.

The man walked her over to the bed and sat down pulling her down with him. He slid a briefcase out from under the bed and opened it.

"We'll start with these," he said passing a stack of intelligence photos to her. "These are pictures of your mother and Sark meeting here in Newcastle. I thought you might like to know that she lied to you when she promised to stay as far away from you as possible. For your own safety of course," he said patronizingly.

"If this is the kind of bullshit you have, you might as well leave now. So my mother and Sark met here. I honestly don't care as long as I didn't see them. I know that he's still working with her. I don't care."

"Fine. That was just an easy way for me to ease into the harder things," the man admitted. "You can believe me or not. I truthfully don't care either way."

"That's my decision," Kaylee said.

"Your mother has been holding things back from you. Important points of the prophecy that you should know about. The CIA has been analyzing the book that your sister stole from Irina Derevko. We believe that she already knew the contents of the book before it got stolen."

"That's bullshit, too," Kaylee said getting a little loud in her anger. "My mother was so pissed off when Sydney stole that book. It was like her whole investigation was going to end without that little piece of the puzzle."

"Quiet down or I'll have to go back to muffling you," the man hissed. "Answer me this. If you're mother was so put off by the theft, why was it so easy for her to rebound from it? She was doing business as normal by the very next day." The man paused for Kaylee to answer, but he quickly realized she wasn't going to. "Irina Derevko has her own plans, and I think, in that instance, the CIA played right into them. She didn't need the book because she had already had different sources that gave her the same information."

"What is this elusive information you keep referring to?"

  
"It's what your mother has been keeping from you. What do you know of the Rambaldi prophecy?"

Kaylee thought for a minute about whether or not she should be talking of such sensitive subjects with this random stranger. She settled on the fact that she really had nothing to lose by doing so. "I know that I'm the woman in Rambaldi's Page 47 prophecy. That means I'm supposed to render the world unto utter devastation or something to that effect. However, there is a bigger prophecy than that one. My mother didn't have much knowledge on it since the book containing it was stolen."

"Irina Derevko has been lying to you about that," the man said. "She knows a lot more about Rambaldi's true prophecy than she let on. As the woman in the prophecy, you will render the greatest power unto utter desolation. You are also in Rambaldi's true prophecy. It speaks of a woman who will be betrayed by all she holds dear including the man whom she trusts most of all. Alone and hurt, she will send herself into a downward spiral which will inevitably kill her. The woman in the prophecy… you, Kaylee… are going to die."

Nothing this man said added up, and she was quick to point that out. "How is that possible? I'm supposed to die and be alive to render that great power thing?"

"Rambaldi's timeline has never been clear," he admitted. "No one is sure yet whether the Page 47 prophecy occurs before or after the true prophecy."

"So, why is this so important for you to inform me in such a shady way? My mother would have told me of this development as soon as she thought I could handle it."

"You mean she would tell you when it first suited her needs?"

"Don't pretend like you know her." Kaylee's eyes flashed with the anger she was beginning to feel inside. It didn't help that the man's reaction was to blatantly laugh in her face. "What the hell is so funny?" she screamed.

The man immediately sobered up realizing his reaction was inappropriate if his goal was to persuade Kaylee that her mother was using her. Plus it had made her upset enough to scream. Screaming was not good because Sark may hear her and come barely out of the bathroom guns blazing. The man cleared his throat and continued, "The point I'm trying to make is that your mother knows this prophecy will kill you. In fact, she's planning on it. She raised you to be expendable. To assume the role that was intended for Sydney. She raised you to die."

"You're claiming that my mother has known the woman in Rambaldi's prophecy was going to die a not so fun death. Knowing that, she raised me to take a fall because she didn't want Sydney too?" Kaylee couldn't believe the lies this man was spinning. "Complete bullshit! You heard me. I said complete bullshit!"

"Let's back up a step," the man said seeing that she was getting obviously upset. "Irina Derevko was the original woman in the Page 47 prophecy. When she learned that this highly coveted role would eventually end in her death, the KGB gave her the task of marrying a CIA agent. That agent's genetic code combined with hers was almost one hundred percent guaranteed to create another person with the same genetic anomalies that Rambaldi predicted. That would save her from facing her grim fate. On a side note, she was also sent to steal plans of a secret government operation entitled Project: Christmas."

"I know all about that," Kaylee said. She crossed her arms and looked at the man impatiently. "Stick to the stuff that deals with your whole conspiracy theory directly."

"Irina was pleased to find that the first child she had did, indeed, have the same genetic anomalies. But then something completely unexpected happened." The man paused. "She actually began to love the child. Irina Derevko developed the normal feelings a mother has for the child they have carried for nine months. She put her KGB mission on hold for six years because of the love she developed for Sydney."

"That explains why she stuck around so long. I always wondered about that. I knew that a good agent like her couldn't have taken that long to fulfill such a simple mission."

"You are very smart, young girl," the man said in admiration. "Sadly, though, Irina's superiors found out about the situation. They put pressure on her to finish the job she started, and she realized this second life she created wasn't going to last that much longer. So she got pregnant as quick as she could. That would be you, Kaylee."

"No shit!" Kaylee was starting to get upset with this man.

"As soon as she knew that she had the key to saving Sydney from Rambaldi's Page 47 prophecy, she cut her losses and staged her own death. And that's the true reason why Irina Derevko raised you so far away from your sister and father. She needed to keep you from establishing too many emotional connections. The less, the better. You see, she needs you to be willing to die to make the prophecy come true."

"So now I have to willingly give myself up to die?" she asked.

"By the time this prophecy is over, you'll be begging anyone to put you out of the misery that your life will become."

"Listen, you sick bastard. I'm tired of hearing this crap you made up, probably in another sick attempt by the CIA to get me to leave my home." She paused. "Answer me one thing. Why the hell should I believe you, some stranger who has broken into my home, over everyone I know and trust?"

"Because I know firsthand the kind of person Irina Derevko is, and I know what's she's capable of."  


"That's a lie if I ever heard one. There's no way my mother ever knew a schmuck like you."

"Oh she knew me all right." The man paused as he heard the shower turn off. His time alone with Kaylee was about to end. "I'm Jack Bristow. Her husband… and your father."


	29. Leaving

Sark got out of the shower with an eerie feeling in the pit of his stomach. He could swear he heard Kaylee talking to someone, but now there were no noises coming out of the other room. Thinking the worst that she must have gotten herself kidnapped yet again, he threw a towel around his waist and rushed into the room.

"Are you okay?" he said as he saw her sitting on the bed staring off into space.

"I'm not sure," Kaylee started. She was about to explain to him what had happened while he was in the shower but was interrupted by his cell phone ringing.

"Let me get that. Don't move a muscle. I want to know exactly what happened as soon as I'm off the phone." Sark leaned over the bed to grab his phone off the night table. "Sark."

"There's been a development." Irina didn't even bother to identify herself.

"In what?" Sark asked as he went back into the bathroom. He wanted to respect Kaylee's privacy and keep the business talk separate from her life.

"In the prophecy. We have a problem. Kaylee's life is in danger. I need you to leave her in Newcastle, and get to Paris as soon as possible."

"We were both on our way there. Why change the plans now?"

"If Kaylee comes with you, she will die, Sark. Trust me. You need to leave her behind, and get here fast. Jack Bristow is trying to hunt her day by way of you. You're a much more public figure than she is. If you stay around her, he will find her. And he won't hesitate to kill her."

"That doesn't make sense," Sark said.

"You've seen how cold and calculating Jack can be. The CIA thinks if they kill the woman in the prophecy, none of Rambaldi's predictions will come true. She's his daughter, but he feels nothing towards her. He won't hesitate to kill her if she's found. Just tell her that you have business and have to leave."

"Irina, she's incredibly upset about something right now. She needs me to stay for at least a day or two."

"Get your ass on a plane now, Sark." Irina abruptly hung up.

"Shit," he muttered to the dead phone line. Hoping that this situation could be resolved as easily as possible, he went back into the other room. Kaylee was sitting in the same position that he left her.

"I have to leave Australia," he said bluntly.

"When are we leaving?" Kaylee said, trying hard to smile.

"Not we. I leave within hour. I can't take you with me. I'm sorry."

Kaylee realized he did look sorry. But that didn't mean it reduced the pain. "Andrew, I need you with me right now. Take me with you. I don't mind if it has something to do with my mother's business. Just don't leave me alone."

"I have to," Sark said wishing that he didn't have to hurt her so much. "I can't explain it. I just do."

Kaylee looked hard at him. "Do you know I'm going to die because of all this crap you're involved in?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sark lied. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll miss you. I love you, Kaylee."

He gave her a pitiful wave and walked out of the penthouse.

"He was lying to me," she said to the empty room. "My father was right. Both he and my mother are trying to control my life." She looked around the room of the home that she had shared the happiest times of her life in. "I can't think. I need to get out of here."

She wrote Sark a quick note which she was sure he would find on his return to Newcastle. She didn't know when that would be. All she knew was she didn't want to be here when he came back.

"The tear spots on the paper are a nice touch," Jack said from his spot in the doorway.

"You didn't leave?" she asked.

"No. I figured that something like this would happen. I just didn't know it would be that soon." Jack Bristow looked around at the place his youngest daughter had called home for the last three months. "Come to Los Angeles with me. You can stay with Sydney until you get your thoughts cleared."

"I couldn't," Kaylee answered automatically.

"You won't be a prisoner," Jack promised. "If you get your thoughts cleared and your decision is to return to your mother and Sark, then you'll be free to leave. We won't hold you to staying with us. You're not a wanted criminal."

"You really want me to come with you, don't you?"

"No matter what your mother has told you, if I had known you existed, I would have wanted to be part of your life. I screwed up a million and a half ways in my attempts to raise Sydney. I would have liked to have a second chance at it."

Kaylee reached over and crumpled the note she had written Sark. "I can't leave without telling him where I'm going."

"That's fine. Just make sure you reiterate the fact that you are going under your own will. We don't want any futile rescue attempts being made."

Kaylee smiled at her father and wrote Sark a quick note. She thought about it for moment and then quickly wrote that she would be in touch and that she was still wearing her ring and had no plans to take it off anytime in the future. "Even if he lied to me," she thought to herself, "I still love him. And that affords him a chance to explain at the very least."

"I'm ready," she said to her father. He walked with her out the door and down the hall. Suddenly, he stopped.

"What's the matter?" she asked.  
  
"I left my briefcase in your room. We can't let Sark know that I was in Newcastle," Jack said. "I'll grab it and be right back."

Kaylee was too tired to argue and watched him return to her penthouse. He emerged rather quickly with his briefcase in his hand.

"Right where I left it," he said. He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to the elevator. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"It can't hurt," Kaylee said softly.

Jack smiled at his daughter and slid his hands into his pocket. In the right one was his CIA-issue gun. Just in case she decided to pull something stupid on him. In the other pocket was her note to Sark. He had grabbed it when he had returned to get his briefcase. It would be better for him if Sark had no idea where she was and if he believed she had abandoned him for the CIA.

"Can I call you Pops?" Kaylee asked with a forced smile.


	30. Two Sisters and a Funny Guy

"You think I should just waltz on in there and say hello, don't you?" Kaylee asked as Jack Bristow pulled up along the front of Sydney's house. "Do you realize how wrong that is on multiple levels?"

"Where else do you want to go?" Jack asked.

"Well, there's always waiting in the car while you go tell the CIA that your daughter, the one who works for your ex-KGB agent wife, is in town. You know so that they don't try to kill me or anything."

"Sydney is fully capable of keeping you out of harm."

"What if Sydney tries to kill me?" Kaylee asked.

"She won't. Now get going." Jack motioned for her to pull the door handle.

"You're not coming in with me?"

"No. It would be a little too awkward right now to explain to Sydney why I was able to extract you. Just walk up to the door and knock. She'll let you in."

Kaylee looked at the house in front of them in awe. "If you say so." She got out of the car. She turned to walk up the drive but quickly changed her mind and walked around to the driver's side of the car. She knocked lightly on the window signaling Jack to role it down.

He looked at her expectantly. "I just wanted to thank you," Kaylee said.

Jack just nodded curtly and drove away.

"Here we go," she muttered to herself.

She walked up the relatively short drive and banged loudly on the front door. Instead of Sydney, a blond haired man answered the door. "If all men in L.A. look like this, why haven't I come here before?" she though to herself. Looking back at him, Kaylee almost laughed at the shocked look on this man's face.

"Is Sydney home?" she asked.

"You're her," the man said as he stepped away from the doorway to allow her entry.

"Um… maybe," Kaylee said with a smile. "And you are?"

"Will Tippin. Sydney's best friend. And you're her sister."

"And I have a name. It's Kaylee." She held her hand out for him to shake.

"Oh. I knew that." He just stared at her outstretched hand and made no move to grasp it.

"You're amusing," she said with a laugh.

"I get that a lot. Um, if you don't mind me asking, what the hell are you doing here? According to Sydney, you were waiting for hell to freeze over to come visit her."

Kaylee dropped her luggage near the front door and began to give herself a tour of her sister's home. "Let's just say the situation changed slightly." She thought about what he had just asked. "Why does Sydney tell you so much about her job? Isn't it supposed to be top secret or something like that? You know the kind of stuff you only see on those hour long dramas on TV?"

"Long story," Will said hoping she didn't ask for more information. He didn't know if he was even allowed to be talking about this with her. Sydney's life was so much like a piece of fiction that he wouldn't be surprised if this was someone in makeup posing as her long lost sister. Since she hadn't said anything for a few seconds, he assumed she wasn't going to pry. He wasn't so lucky.

"Try me. We probably have a while before Sydney comes home." Kaylee let herself into Sydney's bedroom. "God this is disgustingly her. Who's the guy?" Kaylee pointed to a picture of Sydney and Vaughn.

"That's Vaughn, Syd's boyfriend."

"Michael Vaughn?" Kaylee asked, surprised.

"Yeah. You know of him?"

"He was my sister's fucking handler! Mr. Hands Off, if you know what I mean. I think our little Sydney likes to break the rules. Nice. Sister's got a bad side."

"Yeah. It was a romance doomed from the start but magically found a way to survive."

Kaylee laughed. "You've seen too many movies, Mr. Tippin."

"Will." He smiled at her. She noticed his bright blue eyes flashing from behind his glasses. It made her think of Sark, and she had to look away before she started crying.

"Why does he have to vaguely resemble Andrew?" she cursed herself. Trying to forget the connection she had just made, she looked back up at his position out in the hallway.

"Okay. So tell me about how you got sucked into a world of spies and danger." Kaylee walked out of Sydney's room and across the hall into Will's bedroom.

"It all started when Sydney's fiancé, Danny, died." Will noticed Kaylee stiffen slightly at the mention of fiancé. He glanced down at her hand. "Nice rock," he commented.

"Thank you. I prefer not to talk about it."

"Or the guy who gave it to you," Will supplied. He calmly touched Kaylee's shoulder and edged her out of his bedroom and back into the hall. "Anyway, I was investigating Danny's death when I stumbled upon the name SD-6. My investigation got a little too close for comfort, and Sloane tried to have me killed. But not before I was kidnapped for a bluff I made about something called the Circumference."  
  
"You were kidnapped?" Kaylee said. "Wow, it must really suck to be my sister's friend."

"You have no idea," Will said with a laugh. "Though honestly it's all worth it."

"So, you were kidnapped. Were you tortured?" Kaylee flopped down on the coach in the front room. There was a gleam in Kaylee's eye that Will noticed hadn't been present before.

"Okay, you're scaring me. You're like Bizarro Sydney. You look like her, spy like her, even talk like her. But you aren't really her."

"Just call me Evil Sydney."

"Or Mini Me," Sydney called from the doorway of the kitchen. "What the hell are you doing here cozying up to my best friend?"

"Dad brought me here." Kaylee looked at Will, wondering if she could talk in front of him.

"Ask Sydney, not me," Will said. It was easy to guess what she had been thinking.

"It's fine to talk in front of him. Will is trustworthy unlike most of the people you spend your time with."

Kaylee shrugged the hurtful comment off. "Listen. I need a place to stay for a bit. Jack thought it would be okay for me to stay here. Just tell me now if that's a problem."

"No, it's not," Sydney admitted. She sat down on the coach next to her sister. "I'm sorry if I was rude there. It was just a little shocking to find someone you haven't heard a word from in three months on your coach."

"Understood. Where do you want me to start?"

"The beginning."

"I'm trusting you by telling you this," Kaylee admitted. "Please just do me one thing."

"What's that?" Sydney asked.

"I was staying with my boyfriend in Newcastle, Australia. It was as close to a home as I've ever come. Please don't let the CIA ruin that. Don't let them take that place away from me. They can go crazy with my cottage in Paris. Just don't let them have Newcastle."

"Agreed," Sydney said. She knew a thing or two about personal havens and could respect her sister for wanting to keep hers secret. "Will, do you intend on staying for this? Because if you do, there may be a few things I need to clear up before we start."

"I think this will probably be pretty damn interesting, so yeah, I'm staying."

Sydney sighed. It would have been so much easier if he had just left the room. "Kaylee, why don't you start by telling him who the boyfriend you shared an Australian home with is? And don't be surprised if he flips out a bit."

Will looked questionably back and forth from one sister to another. Kaylee had no idea why this should upset Will but had a feeling it would hurt him rather badly. "My boyfriend's name is Andrew Sark. He works for my mother, almost like a--"

That's as far as she got in her explanation before Will started screaming and cussing. He was yelling something about finally getting his chance with a Bristow, having it ruined, and something about a callous, insensitive bastard. After a few minutes, he calmed down.

"Could you please explain that reaction?" Kaylee asked, genuinely intrigued.

"The kidnapping I mentioned earlier, and the torture that brought a gleam to your eye, that was done by your significant other. Because of him, I lost my job, my reputation, and the respect of everyone by Sydney and Jack."

"Oh." Kaylee frowned slightly. "Well, that sounds about right."

Will's mouth dropped open. He looked at Sydney for a little help.

"Bizarro Sydney, that's me!" Kaylee said.

"She knows who Sark is," Sydney explained to her best friend. "She's aware that he's a merciless killer. She doesn't care. Don't try to change her mind about him. She's oblivious."

Will nodded. "I think you can continue with your story," Sydney said to Kaylee.

"Sark and I were living happily in Australia. He didn't involve me in any work, and I didn't ask about anything. Then, yesterday, our father shows up out of the blue and tries to convince me Mom has been lying to me all along. I didn't buy it because that was your tactic. I guess he planted the seeds of doubt into my head just like our conversation at my cottage did."

"I thought I did pretty good in that argument," Sydney said smugly. She was glad to finally learn that she had had an effect on her sister.

"Oh, you don't know how good," Kaylee answered just as smugly.

"What do you mean?"

"Without that conversation, I would never have pushed Sark to define our relationship."  


"I'm surprised you made it out of that one alive," Will interjected. "Sark doesn't seem like the type of guy who would want a relationship."

Kaylee laughed. "I guess I owe you some thanks, Syd. Because of you, Sark admitted that he loved me."

"That guy's capable of love?" Will asked honestly.  


"Oh yeah," Kaylee said with a smile.

"Eww."

"Back to the story, Kaylee," Sydney demanded.

"So I doubted the idea that my mother wasn't lying to me. Dad told me that she had gotten pregnant with me for the sole reason of preventing you and her from being subjected to the Rambaldi prophecy. Which is more like a curse now."

"He told you about the whole death thing," Sydney guessed.

"Correct." Seeing Will's puzzled face, she elaborated. "You see, I'm going to render the greatest power unto utter desolation or some crap like that. Then, everyone I know is going to screw me over with lies and deceit. I'm going to get self-destructive and end up dying. Wanna trade lives?"

"No way," Will said. "I've learned the hard way that the life of a Bristow is not something you would actively seek."

Kaylee continued. "Sark came home and saw I was upset. He tried to comfort me but was interrupted by a call on his cell phone. After he got off the phone, he rushed off to catch a flight. Mom needed him. And I guess that is where his priorities lie." Kaylee felt the tears begin to well in her eyes. "Damnit! I swore I wouldn't cry."

"Talk to Sydney about it," Will said. "It's not that it makes me uncomfortable. It's just she's extremely good at dealing with it. Lots of practice."  


"You are such a jerk!" Sydney yelled. She smiled at her best friend and turned to her sister. "I think that's enough for now. You can stay here as long as you want. As a guest, not a prisoner."

"Unless you want to be a prisoner," Will threw in.

"Though with this guy living him, I'd be surprised if you could last a day," Sydney added. "Anyway, stay as long as it takes you to sort things out. Maybe by the time you leave I'll understand this whole Sark thing."

"And maybe you can explain about that massive engagement ring," Will said, trying to be helpful.

  
"What?!?!" Sydney shrieked.


	31. Midnight Cereal

Will wandered sleepily through the moonlight hall into the kitchen. He still trying to process the whole landslide of information that Kaylee brought with her.   
  
"And I'm still trying to get the ringing of Sydney's screaming out of my head." He chuckled thinking about how crazy with rage she had gotten when her sister tried to explain the fact that she was engaged to be married. He had to admit that it was a pretty big pill to swallow.   
  
He paused at the kitchen door. Sydney was sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by Coco Puffs and half used tissues. He shook his head trying to figure out this scene.   
  
"Hi," she muttered from her position in the kitchen. Seeing Will's confused look, she added, "I'm not Sydney. I just look like her."   
  
The final pieces clicked into place. "Hey, Kaylee," Will said. He grabbed another bowl out of the cupboard and helped himself to the box of cereal. "You a fan of midnight cereal too?"   
  
"It's the best time to eat it," she said attempting to smile.   
  
"So, how are you holding up?"   
  
"Okay, I guess. But I'm sure you don't really care. What with your past history with Sark."   
  
Will nodded and silently ate his cereal.   
  
"So, tell me about yourself," Kaylee said. "I'm curious."   
  
"Well, you know I'm a reporter turned heroin addict. What else is there?"   
  
"True, true," Kaylee said with a laugh. "What are your feelings on my sister? The popular answer is to tell me that you've been secretly pinning for her for years. That's what everyone seems to do."   
  
"Been that, done that. I'm over it," Will admitted. "Sydney's just my best friend. She's practically my life."   
  
"Well, that's nice in an unhealthy sort of way." Seeing Will's confused look, she elaborated. "She's a super spy. That means that she definitely doesn't give you the time and attention that you deserve as her best friend."   
  
"It's hard sometimes." Will paused. He realized that he really didn't want to hold the relationship he had with Sydney under a microscope. Especially when it was with this new addition to Sydney's life. "What are you going to do now?"   
  
"Now that my life has been turned upside down?" Kaylee asked. "Honestly, I have no idea. I'm trying to take it one step at a time. I made it past the first step which was coming here to stay for a while. And now I've realized that I don't know what the other steps are."   
  
"So, a whole lot of nothing?" Will asked.   
  
"A whole lot of nothing until I figure out the right way to go. All I know is I'm not going to last long without Sark. Sorry if that hurts you."   
  
"I can take it," Will said with a smile. "We know two different people, I think. My version of Sark is not the same as yours. I can handle that."   
  
"I can respect that," Kaylee said with a smile. "I love him with all my heart. I hope Sydney can learn to accept that."   
  
"She will," Will admitted. "She's actually an extremely understanding person. You and I dropped a pretty big bomb on her tonight, though."   
  
Kaylee smiled and walked over to the sink to rinse off her cereal bowl. When she was done, she turned to Will. "Thanks for sitting with me. And being so kind. You really didn't have to."   
  
"I think that I did. You really need someone to be nice to you."   
  
"My life sucks, huh?" Kaylee said with a smirk.   
  
"Yeah. But you can just join the club. Hell, your family alone probably holds every office in the club."   
  
"True." Kaylee began to walk back to the coach where she was sleeping.   
  
Will sat alone for a few minutes and then began to walk back to his room. He heard Kaylee softly call his name as he passed the coach.   
  
"Yeah?" he answered.   
  
"I'll give you a hint. Next time we eat midnight cereal, try to remember to put a shirt on. I have a soft spot for men in just sweatpants."   
  
Will chuckled as he made his way back to his room. He was about to walk through the door when a strong arm yanked him into the room across the hall.   
  
"Syd? What the hell was that for?"   
  
"Are you flirting with my sister?" Sydney hissed.   
  
"You were eavesdropping! You little sneak!"   
  
"I'm a spy, Will!" Sydney said exasperated. "I can't just turn it off when I go home."   
  
"No. But that'd be cool," he said with a smile. "Maybe you could get Marshall to work on a gadget for that."   
  
"Very funny," Sydney said with a smile. "So how's she holding up?"   
  
"Honestly? I think it's extremely hard on her not to have Sark around. As strange as that sounds."   
  
"I'll never understand it."   
  
"Give it time," Will said. "I think you may just have to get used to it. She is your sister, and I honestly think that when she makes up her mind, no matter if she decides to stay with you or return to your mother in France, Sark's going to be with her."   
  
"And that's what scares me." Sydney gave Will a kiss on the cheek. "Good night."   
  
"Night." Will softly shut Sydney's bedroom door and made his way across the hall. This was figuring to be a very long week if he had to be running constant interference between the two Bristow sisters.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Kaylee woke up with the nagging suspicion that someone was watching her and had been watching her for quite a while. She didn't have to look far.   
  
"Hi," said Vaughn from his seat on a chair across from the coach. "I'm Mi--"   
  
"You're Vaughn," Kaylee said sitting up. "I recognize you from the portrait in my sister's bedroom."   
  
"I bought her the frame it was in," Vaughn supplied.   
  
"Nice. What are you doing here?"   
  
"Giving Sydney a ride into work. I was hoping you'd wake up. I was going to offer to bring you in with us."   
  
"For some routine questions?" she asked with a smirk.   
  
"For a tour. And to meet some of the most significant people in your sister's life. But if it's too soon for that, just tell me."   
  
"It's too soon. Sorry. I don't know if I want to go within ten feet of the CIA. Call me crazy, but I still don't believe you guys won't swoop in and whisk me away to a containment cell any minute now. I am a wanted woman, you know."   
  
"I'm aware," Vaughn replied. Sydney walked into the room. "Morning, Syd. It was nice meeting you officially, Kaylee."   
  
Vaughn grabbed Sydney's arm and walked towards the door. As they were leaving, Sydney turned to glance at her sister one more time.   
  
"He's cute," Kaylee mouthed.   
  
Sydney smiled and gave her sister a little wave goodbye.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
"Agent Bristow, I need you to go on a mission to Taipei," Director Kendall informed her.   
  
"I thought you had pulled me off active duty," Sydney said. She was shocked that her superior had made such a gross oversight.   
  
"I changed my mind. Kaylee knows that your life is as stable as a spy's can be. Anyway, this assignment might be more important than anything having to do with your sister."   
  
Sydney raised her eyebrows in disbelief.   
  
"The CIA has picked up the fact that your mother may be holding an important Rambaldi device there. We need to find out what it is and determine whether it should be left in her hands. As much as it pains me to tell you, you're one of our best agents. And you're the one who knows your mother's operation the best. If anyone can break into her warehouse in Taipei and successfully find the Rambaldi device, it would be you."   
  
"Thank you, sir," Sydney said. She knew she should just take the compliment and sit in silence. There was no way to get out of having to go back to Taipei.   
  
"Make sure you pick up your equipment from Marshall," Kendall called as he left Sydney sitting alone at her desk.   
  
"What was that all about?" Dixon asked as he walked over to Sydney.   
  
"Kendall wants me to go to Taipei to gather some intel on some new Rambaldi device my mother's acquired."   
  
"When really all you want to do is stay here in L.A. with your sister."   
  
"Yeah," Sydney said with a sad smile. "I really want to figure out what makes her tick. She confuses me on so many levels."   
  
"And you don't deal with confusion too well," Dixon admitted. "Does Kendall want me to go along with you to Taipei?"   
  
"Nope, this is a one-woman mission. If you'll excuse me, Dixon. I need to run a few things by Marshall before I leave for my mission."   
  
Sydney began to make her way to Marshall's small little office and tried to shake off the nagging feeling that this return mission to Taipei was going to change her life as drastically as the first one did. For the first time in a long while, she was scared of what was to come.   



	32. Simon Walker

The warehouse in Taipei where her mother had shot her looked exactly the same as Sydney had left it. There was chaos everywhere from the search for survivors of the flood she had created herself. It took her almost thirty minutes to locate where the main room was where the Mueller device had exploded. Kendall told her that her mother was storing whatever newly acquired artifact she had in this very room under the guise of it being abandoned.   
  
"Not very smart if you ask me," Sydney muttered. The warehouse had no guards or surveillance on it. She couldn't believe that her mother would allow such an important object to be kept under such loose supervision. She continued to mutter to herself as she began to dig through the broken pieces of furniture, crates, and other heavy unidentified objects. "Sometime this job is so not fun."   
  
Kendall had given her instructions that there was a hidden compartment underneath where she had first seen the Mueller device. Her mission was to find that location and dig to find the compartment. That was where Derevko was hiding the Rambaldi artifact.   
  
"Oh that's gross," Sydney said as she accidentally flung mud and god knows what else across herself.   
  
"Agent Bristow, I would stop digging if I were you," came an unfamiliar British voice from behind Sydney.   
  
She turned to see a man she had never set eyes on before. He happened to be pointing a gun in her direction from a platform about a story up from her position. She did a quick assessment of him. He was young but stood with a sense of authority. That means that whatever he does for a living he has been doing it for a long enough time to be comfortable. He was on the attractive side if only he would lose the slight comb over he was sporting. Sydney definitely saw an adversary in him, but she wasn't sure who exactly he was working for.   
  
"Not the British bastard I was hoping for, but hey, I'm game," she said. "You seem to know me, but I have no idea who you are. Care to introduce yourself?"   
  
"Not right now. For now, I need you to get off that pile of crap and go introduce yourself to my two friends over there." The man used his gun to motion in the general direction of two thugs standing to the left of the pile of rubble Sydney was standing on.   
  
"Now, if you know enough about me to know my name, I think you would realize that I'm not just going to walk over there without a struggle."   
  
"I know that, Agent Bristow," the man said sounding exasperated.   
  
"Good," thought Sydney. "I'm having an effect on him."   
  
"They're expendable," the man said nonchalantly. "And easily replaceable."   
  
Sydney was about to spit out a comeback when she realized that he was telling the truth. These men were extremely easy to replace. The two thugs who were beginning to make their way up the pile of debris and to her side weren't the only two present in the room now. There was a slow but steady stream of men she could only presume worked for this mystery man.   
  
"I think you're underestimating how good I am at what I do," Sydney said trying to sound as confident as possible. She knew that it probably didn't come off as well as she hoped.   
  
"We'll see about that, Miss Bristow." The man relaxed the gun.   
  
"Here we go," Sydney mumbled to herself as the two original thugs came within arm's length.   
  
She gave the first one a strong kick in the gut, sending him rolling down the debris pile, and punched the second one straight in the jaw. She was surprised to see that it didn't really faze him. Quickly, she tried to kick him in the shin.   
  
Her blow didn't land, and she felt herself being lifted off the ground by her throat. Before she could be flung across the room, she kicked her attacker in the chest. His grip on her throat relaxed a little, and she was able to wiggle free.   
  
"That better not bruise," she screamed as she began to repeatedly punch him in the face.   
  
Sydney didn't have a moment to relax as shots began being fired in her general direction. She could only assume that they were tranquilizers. The men she had just finished fighting hadn't been trying to kill her. Whoever this mystery man was, he wanted her alive. Which was fine by her.   
  
"Can't we work something out here?" she yelled as she ran for cover. "Something that doesn't involve shooting at me?" Stopping in this hiding place only long enough to take a breath, she mumbled to herself, "People shoot at me way too often."   
  
She felt the butt of a gun being pressed into her side. Obviously, her hiding place hadn't been as good as she thought it was. She swiftly twisted her body and rammed the gun into her assailant's face. The woman crumbled to the floor. Sydney picked up the gun and began to cautiously walk back into the open area of the main warehouse.   
  
About twenty wary steps out, gunshots began to go off all around her. Sighing, she dived into the muck she had previously been knee deep in. She hoped that it would cover her enough so that she was able to fire some shots back. Silently she cursed Kendall for refusing to let Vaughn come along to provide assistance.   
  
"Are you ready to give up now, Agent Bristow?" the mystery man called from his position overhead.   
  
Sydney answered by shooting a few times in the direction of his voice. She stood up and ran over to the wall, thinking of ways she could scale up it to the platform overhead. She knew her limits, and she definitely couldn't keep successfully picking off this man's henchmen. He needed to be taken out and quick.   
  
She found the wall was slightly pitted and provided her with rather nice hand and foot holds. Sighing, she shoved the gun into the waistline of her pants and began to climb. She was surprised to feel the gunshots fade off. "Looks like I'm getting too close to their boss for them to risk shooting," she mumbled.   
  
"You could say that," came a voice from right above her.   
  
A hand reached down and yanked her the last few feet up the wall. Sydney found herself flung into a corner with not too much care. She heard a slight snap in her wrist and knew immediately that it was broken.   
  
"Um. Ow?!?!?" she said. She tried to stand up but was quickly grabbed by two men.   
  
"Are you ready to cooperate?" the mystery man asked.   
  
"No," she answered honestly. "But could you at least tell me your name? That way I know who the hell I'm trying to kill."   
  
"She warned me that I'd like you," the man replied.   
  
"She? Who the hell are you talking about?" Sydney yelled back.   
  
"My name is Simon Walker, and I'll not be telling you more than that today." Simon leaned in close to Sydney's face. "I especially won't be telling you who I'm working for. That is if I'm working for anyone at all."   
  
"Okay," Sydney said. She used the two men as leverage and kicked off the wall. The force of her motion made them lose their grip on her, and she went flying at Simon. She landed with a thud on top of him and quickly yanked him to his feet and pointed the gun she had previously stolen at his head. "Now aren't we in a predicament?"   
  
"Not really," Simon said. "You have a broken wrist so you can only point that gun at me with the one hand. And my men seem to be realizing that you're all alone out here. CIA didn't give you back-up? Too bad. You would have needed it right about now." He shrugged the jacket off of his shoulders and threw it down on the floor.   
  
Sydney was startled to see the men she had assumed would come to Simon's aid begin to file out of the room.   
  
"You see, honey, they were the pre-game. I'm the main event." Simon used her surprise to his advantage and knocked the gun out of her hand. He quickly bent down and kicked her legs out from under her. Sighing, he pushed her hands up over her head before she could fight back. "I have to admit, Agent Bristow, I expected a much better fight out of you." He slammed his right fist into the side of her head, knocking her unconscious.   
  
Simon couldn't help but taunt her in her lifeless state. "Mommy's going to be mad."   



	33. Medical Exams Never Lead To Good Things

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Kaylee muttered to herself.   
  
"You can't believe you're doing this?" Will asked from his position in the driver's seat of the car. "I can't believe Sydney and Vaughn talked me into taking you."   
  
Kaylee laughed. She had heard from Sydney that Will had a slight problem with doctors ever since the torture and fake heroin addiction situation. Before Sydney had left on her mission, she had called Kaylee and explained that it would probably be best if the CIA knew of her existence. Sydney had joked about it, but Kaylee could tell Sydney was worried about leaving her to fend for herself while she went on a mission. "Which was the only reason I agreed to this," Kaylee thought.   
  
"Here we are," Will said as he pulled into an almost completely empty parking lot. There were a handful of cars, but there appeared to be no one in any of them. "Now we just have to wait for our ride to show up."   
  
"My mom warned me that the CIA enjoyed their shadow ops, so to speak," Kaylee said as she stepped out of the car.   
  
Will got out of his side and took a seat on the hood of his car. "It kind of unnerves me to hear you talk about Irina Derevko so casually," he admitted.   
  
"She's my mother, Will. In my mind, that comes first before wanted fugitive of the American government." Kaylee paused and then continued rather candidly. "I used to trust her completely. She was the only person in the world who mattered to me at all. And I always thought I was the only one in her life. That was before I found out about Sydney and Jack."   
  
"You have to admit that she cared for them at some point," Will replied.   
  
"Oh she cared about them all right. She still does in fact." Kaylee took in Will's shocked look. "Come on! It's not that shocking. Everyone seems to care loads about Sydney. Why shouldn't our mother be the same?"   
  
"Because of the sheer fact she staged her own death effectively abandoning her child to a man that had no idea how to raise a child?" Will offered.   
  
"Jack Bristow obviously knew what he was doing. Sydney didn't turn out half bad. I think if my mom hadn't believed he could raise a child, she never would have left Sydney behind. She would have come up with some way to stage her death along with Sydney's." Kaylee paused. "Sometimes, I think Sydney means more to my mother than I ever will."   
  
"That's ridiculous," Will said. He got up off of the hood as he saw a van approaching them. "Your mother raised you from when you were small. She only knew Sydney for the first six years Sydney was alive. They never really had time to grow to love each other the way you have."   
  
"Our ride's here," Kaylee said, effectively ending the conversation.   
  
The van pulled up ride alongside theirs, and two men got out. Kaylee immediately recognized the one as Michael Vaughn, whom she had previously met. The other man was a mystery. She had secretly hoped that her father would be there, but she knew he probably had more important things to do than accompany his daughter to a doctor's visit.   
  
"Hey, Vaughn," Will said breaking the silence. "Dixon."   
  
The second man, presumable Dixon, walked over to Kaylee. "You really look like her, don't you?" he said in wonder.   
  
"That's the popular opinion," Kaylee said. She held out her hand. "Kaylee Derevko. And you are?"   
  
"Marcus Dixon," he said accepting her hand and shaking it firmly.   
  
"Dixon here was Sydney's partner in SD-6 when she was a double agent," Will supplied.   
  
"I still can't believe they tell you so much of the top-secret stuff," Kaylee said in awe.   
  
"When SD-6 was taken down, he transferred over to the real CIA and now works with Sydney on most of her missions here," Vaughn supplied. "And as for Will, he's just too damn inquisitive for his own good."   
  
"Funny." Will led Kaylee over to the back of the van. "I've been working to help out the CIA for almost a year now. They've given me a little more responsibility, and because of that, I get to know some of Sydney's back-story. It's helpful to make conversation at dull parties."   
  
Kaylee laughed as the other two men got into the front seat of the van. "So where are you taking me?"   
  
"Into the heart of operations," Dixon explained. "The agency has a qualified team of doctors there who will want to give you a thorough run through. And there's Marshall."   
  
"Marshall?" Kaylee asked.   
  
"He's our op-tech guy," Vaughn explained. "And one of the smartest men I've ever met. He's been going over most of the intel we have on the Rambaldi prophecies since the CIA learned you would be coming in. He has some theories on what it all means, and we thought that he might run him by you."   
  
"That's fine," Kaylee agreed. "But I don't know how much help I'll be. I was never too informed on the subject."   
  
"Actually, Vaughn thought Marshall might help keep your mind off of the whole CIA inspection thing," Dixon added. He laughed lightly. "Marshall tends to be of the distracting sort."   
  
Kaylee smiled softly to herself. Sometimes, she couldn't believe the strange world she and her sister had been born into.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
The CIA physicians were extremely polite to her, and not one looked down at her for her connections to her mother and Sark. She was grateful for that. However, the whole situation she was in was giving her the creeps. The exam room was extremely cold and reminded her of a bad horror movie. She really wished they had let Will come in with her, though she doubted she could have convinced him to conquer his fears.   
  
Sighing, she heard the door open and a shorter man kind of bumbled his way into the room. He looked up at her and stopped in his tracks.   
  
"Holy crap! They were right!" he practically yelled.   
  
"I know, I know," Kaylee said. "I look just like Sydney. I wish for once someone would look at Sydney and say 'Gee you look just like Kaylee'. I guess it's the curse of the being the second sibling. Sorry, I'm babbling."   
  
"That's usually my job," the man admitted. "I'm Marshall Flinkman. Vaughn said he had told you I would be coming."   
  
"Dixon said you were going to be my distraction," Kaylee supplied.   
  
"I'll do my best, little lady," Marshall said with a nervous laugh.   
  
Director Kendall watched the scene behind a two-way mirror with Agent Vaughn and Jack. He couldn't believe that he had approved Vaughn's idea to send Marshall in to talk with Kaylee. That man was more of a burden than an asset sometimes.   
  
"She's laughing," Vaughn said with a smile.   
  
"Why did she agree to do this?" Jack asked sobering the mood again.   
  
"I have no idea," Vaughn admitted. "Sydney and I didn't think she'd actually agree to do this. This is giving the CIA a major lead on the Rambaldi prophecy, which will directly hurt Irina Derevko's operations."   
  
"With Kaylee's previously affiliations, this is surprising," Kendall added. "I can't decide whether she's honestly confused with her position in this game or if this is another one of Derevko's ploys to get the upper hand on the CIA."   
  
"She's confused," Jack said. "I saw the way she acted when I convinced her to come with me. She didn't know what was right and what was wrong. My belief is the only reason she agreed to do this is she wants to know what will happen to her as much as the rest of us."   
  
The trio stood in silence and watched Marshall finish up his conversation and leave the room.   
  
"She shouldn't be left along," Vaughn said and made to leave the room.   
  
"Agent Vaughn," Director Kendall said sharply. "Don't get too attached to her. She may be an enemy of this government. We can't afford to give her the benefit of the doubt."   
  
Vaughn nodded and left the room.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Kaylee had been happy to have people like Marshall and Vaughn there to keep her mind off of what the CIA was doing to the different samples they had taken from her. "My sister really has a nice support group," she thought to herself. It made the ache she felt for Sark that much worse seeing all the men who cared greatly for Sydney. "I don't think I can take much more of this," she mumbled to herself. She knew that she was going to cave eventually just from the pure misery of being away from the man she loved.   
  
The door to the exam room burst open, and a man entered she hadn't seen before.   
  
"Hello, Miss Derevko," the man said. "I'm Director Kendall. I need you to come with me."   
  
Before she could ask where they were going, Kendall had ushered her out into the hall. Two men in suits quickly threw handcuffs on her and began shepherding her down the hallway. She was so confused she didn't even think to put up a fight.   
  
Within minutes, she found herself alone in a containment cell, exactly what she had feared would happen when she agreed to come into the CIA. It was becoming apparent that the right choice for her had been to stay with Sark and her mother. Irina had always told her that she couldn't trust the CIA.   
  
Kaylee heard the click of cell doors opening and watched Vaughn enter the facility she was being held in. His face displayed the worry and embarrassment she could have guessed he was feeling.   
  
"Don't worry about what's happening to me," she said. "Just tell me what's going on. Please."   
  
Vaughn signaled to someone, and her cell door swung open. He walked into the cell and sat down next to her.   
  
"Contrary to what Kendall believes, I don't think you're a threat to anyone, including myself." He looked her over. "You seem to be okay."   
  
"Yeah, I'm just peachy. What the hell is going on? I was promised that this wouldn't happen so something big had to occur to make you go back on that."   
  
"For starters, Sydney's mission didn't go too well. She was supposed to check in with me an hour ago. We think that your mother got wind of where she was and kidnapped her."   
  
"That's not surprising," Kaylee said. "But my mother wouldn't hurt her. You may think she's an evil woman, but she's not that evil. She wouldn't kidnap her own daughter. Let me rephrase that. She would kidnap her one daughter without kidnapping the other."   
  
"You have a point." Vaughn paused. "The second piece of news I have for you isn't so easy to handle."   
  
"What happened?" Kaylee asked. She was starting to get a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach.   
  
"I don't know how to put this gently. We received intel today about your fiance." Vaughn paused knowing that he was about to say something that would hurt Kaylee as much as she could be hurt. "Sark was killed earlier today."   



	34. The Key to the Prophecy

The wail that escaped Kaylee's body was worse than any other sound Vaughn had heard in his whole lifetime. It was the sound of a person's heart being shattered. He let her sob and cry for a few minutes. Then he figured it was time that she got an explanation of what had happened.   
  
"The CIA has been trying to keep close tabs on your mother and your fiance. At least as close a tab as they let us." Vaughn tried to smile encouragingly. "I think Sark knew you were with your sister because we were suddenly getting a lot more information on him. My personal belief is he stopped trying to foil our attempts to get surveillance on him and his activities. I think he wanted you to know what he was up if that was what you wished."   
  
"He loved me," Kaylee said distantly.   
  
"Anyway, today he was in Hong Kong doing some business for your mother. He was in the Bank of China tower when there was an explosion on his floor. We don't know for certain if the target in the explosion was him, but we are fairly certain that he didn't make out of the building alive."   
  
"No, he had to have," Kaylee said. "There's no way he would have died in such a passive way. No way. And he wouldn't let himself die without me. He always promised me that he would never die unless I was right there beside him."   
  
"Kaylee, you have to be logical about this," Vaughn started.   
  
"Logical?" she screamed. "What about this situation is logical? My sister is missing, presumed dead. My fiance, according to your government, has died in a building explosion. I'm stuck here in a holding cell of that same government for reasons unknown to me. And instead of my father breaking the news to me, I have to settle for my sister's boyfriend. What's logical about that?"   
  
"I was just going to bring up the point that if he had made it out of the building alive, wouldn't he have let the men we had tailing him know? Wouldn't he have wanted you to know he was alive?" Vaughn asked, bringing up the strongest point he had in his argument.   
  
"I just can't believe he's dead. The way you don't believe that Sydney was killed on her mission." Kaylee began to cry softly again.   
  
Vaughn let her cry for a little while knowing from his past experience with Sydney that this was the best remedy to the pain she was feeling. He put an arm lightly on her shoulder to show he was there for her. She might be a new addition to his life, but he knew Sydney would want her to have whatever support was available.   
  
"Why am I here?" Kaylee finally asked looking around at the cell she was in. "Do they think I have something to do with Sydney's failed mission?"   
  
"Honestly?" Vaughn asked. "I have no idea why they suddenly whisked you off here. I tried to get Director Kendall to explain it to me, but he just said something about it being over my head. I assume that whatever happened it must be big."   
  
"Do you think I had something to do with Sydney's disappearance?"   
  
"No," Vaughn said honestly. "I think you're too genuinely confused to have had something to do with it. Your life is messed up enough. There's no way that you could be behind this whole failed mission thing. And if that's why the CIA is holding you, I'm sure you'll be out of here in no time. They just need to make it official that you had nothing to do with this."   
  
Vaughn smiled and stood up. He signaled the agent to open the door for him to leave. "Hang in there," he said. "I'm sure you'll be back to living on Sydney's coach in no time."   
  
Kaylee gave him as best a smile as she could manage and waited until he was out of sight to start crying again. All she wanted to do was be back in Newcastle where things were so much happier. She should never have listened to her father. She should have stayed right where she was on that hotel bed until Sark had finished running the errand her mother sent him on. Then, she should have told him what had happened and the doubts she was having. Together they could have worked out this whole thing within minutes probably.   
  
"But no, I had to be stupid enough to do a rash thing like run away from him," she screamed at no one in particular. "Why did I ever leave him?"   
  
Calming herself, she sat back down on the bed and started to think of the ways he could have escaped the blast. She let herself drift off to sleep, hoping that by the time she woke up the CIA would have found Sydney and they would have confirmed that Andrew Sark was still alive. Then she would get out of this cell and return to her life with him.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Marshall looked over the report of the tests the CIA had run on Kaylee one more time. He wanted to be sure about their findings before he presented the information to the rest of the agency. Realizing that one mistake on this project would probably have him fired within the hour, he began to reread the results. The answers the CIA had been searching for were right there plain as day in black and white.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Irina Derevko was going over the reports she had received earlier that day. She couldn't believe that Sark had been stupid enough to get himself caught in that blast in Hong Kong. It was just another lose she was going to have to deal with. Though truthfully this one hit a little too close to her heart. Her life seemed to be slowly unraveling.   
  
Pushing that dark thought out of her head, she turned to the information she had gotten from her informant in the CIA. The phone ringing interrupted her abruptly.   
  
"Mr. Walker, so good to hear from you. I didn't know that you were back in the spying game," she said sweetly.   
  
"Well, Irina, I didn't intend to come back. But a pretty package dropped itself right into my back yard, and I couldn't help but investigate. I heard that you were trying to locate your daughter."   
  
"You found her," Irina said, slightly surprised. She had been looking for weeks for her daughter with no luck. There was no way that Simon Walker with his amateur resources had found Kaylee before she did.   
  
"Yeah, she was on some recon mission for the CIA. Looking through the warehouse in Taipei that I bought off of you a few months back. Quite the odd property you had there, by the way. Back to the point, though, I have to say that I thought she'd put up more of a fight. I expected her to be just as much of a little spitfire as you are."   
  
"She was working for the CIA?" Irina asked. She knew that Kaylee was having some issues dealing with the changes in her life, but she never dreamed that her youngest daughter would immediately run to the CIA for answers. She thought she had taught her better than that. "Something isn't adding up here, Mr. Walker."   
  
"I don't know what you mean, Irina. All I know is I have something you want." Simon paused before finishing his sentence and dangling the bait he had. "And it's something that The Covenant wants to."   
  
"The Covenant?" Irina said. She wasn't easily surprised, but she didn't think this newly founded organization had any interest in any of her family. Or at least she hadn't heard of any interest. She was beginning to suspect that Simon Walker had made a huge mistake in his efforts to gain some sort of power over her. "Mr. Walker, are you aware that I have two daughters?"   
  
"Do you now?" he said, slightly surprised at the change in topic. Usually Irina Derevko was all business and never brought her personal life into the discussions. "Well, congratulations. What does this have to do with me?"   
  
"Oh, believe me. It has a lot more to do with you than you think. My oldest daughter, Sydney, is an agent for the CIA. She has a happy little life in L.A. that I let her keep without interfering too much. My youngest daughter, Kaylee, is the one that's disappeared. The one I've been looking for. Mr. Walker, I think that you grabbed the wrong girl."   
  
"Either way, I still say I have something that you want."   
  
"True," Irina admitted. She wasn't about to leave Sydney in such a jam. It was impossible to imagine what The Covenant would want with her daughter, and she loved Sydney enough to keep her away from the uncertainty. "What do I need to do to get Sydney back?"   
  
She could hear Simon pause to think on the other end of the line. "Actually, I don't think I'm going to make a deal with you. It doesn't seem to me that you really want your daughter, and anyway you need to focus on finding the other one. I think The Covenant's offer is the one I'm going to go with. So sorry, Irina. Looks like you're going to be burying one of your children rather soon."   
  
Irina Derevko slammed the phone down in annoyance. Simon Walker did not know the trouble he was toying with. She had no idea how, but she knew that she couldn't let Sydney be killed by The Covenant.   
  
"My day has just gone from bad to worse," Irina mumbled.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Kaylee was actually thinking about her mother and what would she do in this situation when Vaughn returned to her cell. She quickly noticed that he was trying to keep from making eye contact with her. "This is obviously not good news," she thought to herself.   
  
She noticed Marshall enter the cell behind Vaughn. He immediately clutched the folders he was carrying a little tighter.   
  
"What's going on?" she asked. "Did you figure out why the CIA is holding me here?"   
  
"I'm sorry to admit that's because of something I found," Marshall began to explain. "You see, Kendall thought it would be best if I went over your medical results in conjunction with the Rambaldi prophecy. I've been doing research with Rambaldi for a while there, focusing in on basically your part in the whole thing. Well, we assume it's your part. I haven't completely decided one hundred percent that it's you and not Sydney or your mother that is the woman in the prophecy. Rambaldi's kind of tricky in that regard. He never clearly defines anything. Which could explain why it took me so long to make any findings with your medical results."   
  
Kaylee stood up and walked over to Marshall. She rested her hand on his arm lightly and tried to give him a sympathetic smile. "Marshall, I've had a long day. My sister is missing. The love of my life died in an explosion. I'm in CIA custody for reasons that no one will disclose. If you could be as brief as possible, I would really appreciate it."   
  
"Your medical results were fine," Marshall said after taking a deep breath. "There seems to be nothing wrong with you besides the genetic abnormalities that Rambaldi predicted. I was noticing there was one thing strange with the results though."   
  
Vaughn led Kaylee back over to her bed and pulled her down beside him. "I really think you should be sitting for this one."   
  
"Well, I realized what the abnormality was. And I was really happy for you, and then I was really happy for me. You see, this abnormality, I really shouldn't call it that. This gift was the key to realizing what Rambaldi actually meant when he said you would render the greatest power unto utter desolation."   
  
"You figured out the prophecy by reading my medical results?" Kaylee asked rather amazed at Marshall's intelligence. "How?"   
  
"Well, you see, when Rambaldi meant you were going to render this power, he meant it in the simplest form of the word. Render. To give up; yield. To transmit to another; deliver."   
  
"I don't understand," Kaylee said.   
  
Vaughn put his hand lightly on top of hers. "Kaylee, you're going to have a baby."   



	35. Two Years Gone By

Sydney shook her head as she felt herself slip back into consciousness. She knew that she had to get her wits back about her before this Walker guy decided to do something stupid like sell her to the highest bidder under the guise of being the answer to the Rambaldi prophecy. Marshall had told her there was a whole Internet following on that very scheme.   
  
She slowly took her hands off her head and put them on the ground to brace herself as she prepared to get up. The ground was cold and slimy. She could hear random people shouting to one another in a language that she wasn't quite familiar with. Her eyes began to focus on the neon lights that were everywhere she turned.   
  
"This is definitely not Kansas, Toto," she muttered as she sat up. "Where the hell am I?" She looked down at herself. "And what the hell am I wearing?!?"   
  
Sydney was clothed in what looked at best like sweats that had been worn for a year straight. There were rips and tears all over them, and they smelled slightly like road kill.   
  
"I was definitely not wearing this yesterday," Sydney thought. She suddenly recognized where she was. "And I was not in Hong Kong when Walker kidnapped me. So why am I here now?"   
  
She dragged herself over to a pay phone she had spotted across the street. Her right knee hurt slightly, and she couldn't figure out why. She hadn't thought she jarred it in the fight the day before. In fact she was surprised that she didn't feel the normal aches and pains that were usually present the day after a fight.   
  
Sighing she picked up the phone and dialed the emergency number the CIA had made her memorize before her mission began. The line clicked.   
  
"Base ops, this is Bluebell. My location is Hong Kong. I don't know how I got here. I don't know why I'm here. I need to arrange a pickup."   
  
"Bluebell, understood. We'll do what we can," the voice on the other end responded. A few minutes of dead air later, Sydney got her answer. "There's an old safe house disguised as a restaurant two streets to your left. You should be fine there until we can get someone in to brief you on what happened. Base ops out."   
  
Sydney stared at handle that was blaring the dial tone. She knew that the CIA could be abrupt at times, but the least she had expected was a little information on why she was in Hong Kong. "I can wait, I guess," she mumbled to herself. She lightly ran her hand over her abdomen, a nervous habit she had picked up from Marshall.   
  
It wasn't the smooth surface she had expected. She lifted up the sad excuse for a shirt she was wearing and stared in horror at a massive, jagged scar that was ripped across her stomach. "What the hell happened to me?" she said confused as to how a mysterious scar could form overnight.   
  
She tried to center herself to her surroundings and began searching for this restaurant/safe house she needed to find to get the answers to all the questions that were swimming around in her head.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Vaughn knocked softly on the door that he had been told Sydney would be behind. He couldn't hold his shock when he heard her voice call softly for him to come in. He thought he would never hear that voice again.   
  
"Sydney?" he said as he pushed the door open. He hoped she couldn't hear the shakiness that was in his voice.   
  
"Vaughn!" she yelled as she ran towards him. She launched herself into his arms. "I can't tell you how confused I am. I woke up here in Hong Kong and called the CIA. They wouldn't tell me what happened. They just said to wait patiently here in this sad excuse for a safe house. And I can't believe that you're actually here. What the hell is going on?"   
  
Vaughn took a deep breath. He didn't know where to start. Absentmindedly, he played with the ring that was on his left hand.   
  
"Why are you wearing that ring?" Sydney asked suspiciously.   
  
He looked at her in horror. He couldn't believe that he had been stupid enough to call attention to the one thing he didn't want her noticing.   
  
"What's going on?" she asked for the millionth time that day.   
  
"Sydney, you've been missing for over two years." She stared at him in panic and fear. "I hate to do this with you, but I can't explain any more until we get back to CIA headquarters in L.A. This safe house isn't the best one the CIA ever established. Please, I wish I could explain everything to you now. But the CIA's priority is to get you home."   
  
Vaughn lifted Sydney up out of the seat she had taken on the coach. She must have lost all strength in her body because she almost immediately found herself stumbling and struggling to keep vertical. Sighing, he scooped her up into his arms and prepared to carry her as far as he needed to.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Sydney woke up with the feeling of someone holding her hand. "Vaughn," she whispered, thinking back to the image of him picking her up into his arms in the Hong Kong safe house. Then the rest of the conversation they had came flooding back to her. She sat up quickly.   
  
"Sydney, you're awake," Weiss said. He had been lying in the bed next to her holding her hand. "We weren't sure if you were ever going to wake up. You experienced some trauma to the head."   
  
"Where's Vaughn?" she asked.   
  
"He's close," Weiss promised. He got up off the bed and slowly lowered Sydney back down into a resting position. "Sydney, you've been missing from the CIA for twenty-six months now. We thought that you had died."   
  
"Really? Because I only feel like I've been gone for twenty-six hours. There's no way I could have been gone that long without knowing it."   
  
"Syd, I'm not lying to you. You have been gone for much longer than you think." Weiss paused and then began talking again. "Syd, a lot of things have changed while you've been gone."   
  
"I would imagine," Sydney said incredulously. "Please just tell me whatever you can about what happened to me. I need to know where I've been."   
  
"The CIA has no idea where you've been, Sydney. They thought you had died on the mission to Taipei that you were sent on. We found a body a few days after you first disappeared. It washed up on the banks of the Tanshui River. The CIA confirmed through DNA and dental analysis that it was your body. You are just as shocked with what's happening as we are. Every one thought that you were dead."   
  
"Well, I'm not," Sydney said. She was starting to get frustrated with this situation.   
  
"I think you need to rest a little," Weiss said turning to leave the room.   
  
"Please don't leave me," Sydney said. She could feel the tears start to well up in her eyes. "I need to understand what's happened. And you seem to be the only one willing to tell me."   
  
"Okay," Weiss said. He slid back into the hospital bed beside her and took her hand again. "I'll stay right here until you want me to go."   
  
"So, tell me what's happened in my life since I've been missing," Sydney said snuggling into Weiss's side. 'It was good to know that even if you went missing for years, there was at least one friend who would be there for you,' she thought to herself.   
  
"Well, Kendall lost his job with the CIA when you turned up missing. The higher ups couldn't believe that you had been sent out on a mission with no backup. Especially since Vaughn had filed that official request to go with you, which would have been the smart thing. There was a period where the government actually believed that Kendall was working with your mother. How bizarre is that?"   
  
"Extremely," Sydney agreed. She knew that both she and Weiss were dancing around the obvious question of why their best friend was wearing a wedding ring when he came to collect her from the safe house, and she didn't care. "So is the new director as horrible as Kendall was?"   
  
"That's a matter of personal opinion," Dixon said as he entered Sydney's hospital room. "I personally think they like me, but what does a boss know?"   
  
"Dixon!" Sydney said. Her face lit up with the appearance of another one of her friends. "You're the new director of the CIA?"   
  
"Guess they felt bad for all the things they put me through when you were a double agent. Sort of like a bonus, if you want to look at it that way. How are you holding up, Syd?"   
  
"Okay, considering everyone I ever knew thought I was dead a few hours ago." She turned to Weiss. "Please keep explaining."   
  
"Your father's currently on a mission for the government. Otherwise you know he would be right here beside me."   
  
"He may have screwed up the job of raising me, but he's really trying to make up for it," Sydney said candidly. "How is Will?"   
  
Dixon stepped in to the conversation. "Will's in Witness Protection, Syd."   
  
"Why?" she asked. "What happened to him?"   
  
"Well, when you disappeared, the CIA assumed the popular assumption was that we were going to be blackmailed for your return. Then the theory was that someone was trying to get at your sister through the newly created emotional ties she had made. So there was an executive decision that Will was in danger of being abducted like we believed you had been at the time. We couldn't take the chance that the people who took you might interpret your sister's relationship with Will as more than it was."   
  
"That was before we found the body of whomever was set up to be you," Weiss added.   
  
"You told her about that?" Dixon asked. "Is nothing that supposed to be classified ever treated that way?"   
  
"So, Will was put in Witness Protection for his safety?" Sydney asked.   
  
"He's still in the program," Dixon informed her. "I can't decide if we should pull him out of it or not."   
  
"You can't decide? You can't decide?!?" Sydney cried. "It's a man's life you're talking about here. There should be no reason that he would have to stay in the program. You thought that he was in danger because of my abduction. I'm not abducted anymore. I'm safe in CIA protection again. There should be no reason to keep him in a life that was forced upon him."   
  
"Well, the thing is," Weiss said hesitantly, "I think he's happy in Witness Protection, Syd."   
  
"We're not sure if he would want to come back to this life," Dixon added.   
  
"Why not let him be the judge of that?" Sydney said. "I want to see him. Let me go and tell him that I'm still alive. After that, he can decide whether he wants to come back to his life two years ago or if he wants to stay in the program. The man should be able to make his own choice."   
  
"We'll see," Dixon said. He lightly patted Sydney's head. "For now, you need to relax."   
  
Dixon smiled at her and left her alone with Weiss. Weiss sat up slightly from his reclining position next to Sydney. "Do you want me to leave so you can sleep?"   
  
"No," Sydney mumbled as she snuggled in close to him. "I want to know that you're here making sure I don't get kidnapped again. I'm afraid when I wake up I won't know where I am. Or that maybe someone will try to take me again."   
  
"I won't let that happen," Weiss said gently kissing the top of Sydney's head. The pair lay on Sydney's hospital bed in silence.   
  
Weiss figured that after fifteen minutes of silence, Sydney had fallen asleep finally. He shrugged out of her grasp and grabbed his coat trying to make as little a noise as possible. Chances are this was the only sleep she'll be getting for quite a while. He turned back to her though when he heard her mumble something. "Did you say something, Syd?"   
  
"We haven't talked about Michael yet," she mumbled half asleep. "But that's okay. I don't think I really want to know."   
  
Weiss sighed. "No you really don't," he whispered.   



	36. Hiding the Truth

Sydney lightly fingered the message she had found on the desk that was newly assigned to her. It was from Weiss telling her that Dixon had approved her request to talk with Will. She was supposed to meet with him in a few minutes to go over what she was allowed to say and what had to be kept classified.   
  
She had been out of the hospital for a week now, and still she hadn't seen Vaughn. She knew it wasn't very mature to actively avoid another person. She wasn't stupid. It was just the fact that she didn't want to hear the explanation about why Vaughn was wearing a wedding ring. In her confused head, if he didn't say he was married, then it wasn't really true. Weiss had told her this was the unhealthiest mode of thinking he had ever heard of.   
  
"But I don't care," she mumbled.   
  
"Sydney," said a voice behind her. It was the one voice she did not want to hear mutter her name, and it was the only voice she wanted to hear say her name.   
  
"Michael," she said spinning in her chair to face him. "I'm sorry I haven't been to talk with you."   
  
"It's okay," he said with a weak smile. "You've been busy. I should have made an effort to see you. I need to explain a few things to you."   
  
"Start explaining," Sydney said with her own weak smile. "I want to understand."   
  
"Syd, you were dead. The CIA found your body and everything. I didn't think you were ever coming back. When you died, my heart shattered. It was kind of ironic because I had just finished comforting your sister from the same thing."   
  
"You know, that's the first time someone has mentioned my sister. I'm starting to wonder what is going on with her that everyone has so successfully avoided mentioning her."   
  
"We can deal with that in a minute, Syd. I need to finish explaining what happened to me over the past two years. It's important that you know."   
  
"Start with explaining why the hell you're wearing a wedding ring," Sydney hissed. She was finding it harder and harder to contain her anger as he kept talking. "I still don't understand why you gave up on looking for me. If you were the one who got abducted, I would have never ever stopped looking for you no matter what happened."   
  
"Sydney, they found your body floating in a river. That was pretty solid evidence that you had died."   
  
"You're telling me that you felt deep down in your heart that I had died? That after everything we had been through, you were just going to accept evidence that conveniently washed up on shore? It didn't occur to you that maybe the evidence was planted?"   
  
"Of course that occurred to me, Sydney. It occurred to all of us. But the DNA of the body we found matched yours. There was no way anyone could fake that."   
  
"Well, obviously someone did because I'm sitting here talking to you."   
  
Vaughn took a deep breath and began to finger his wedding ring as he got more nervous. Sydney snapped.   
  
"Stop playing with that damn thing!" she yelled calling most of the office's attention to their discussion. "I can't stand that you're wearing that thing and I don't even know why."   
  
"I moved on, Syd. It was what all my family and friends were urging me to do."   
  
"I bet it didn't even take you that long," Sydney said. She knew she was trying to intentionally hurt him, but it didn't really matter to her. All she could think of is he should hurt just as much inside as she was.   
  
"You don't know how much your death destroyed me, Syd. I spent the first six months after the CIA found your body trying to keep the search for you going. I couldn't believe that you had died. I barely ate or slept. Weiss kept trying to hold interventions on my behalf." Vaughn chuckled at the memory.   
  
"Good for you. Because obviously I was alive and well. I'm sitting here, aren't I? So you were right to try to search for me even after they found what was supposedly my body."   
  
"Please don't patronize me, Syd. After those initial six months of denial, I lost my mind. I started talking to you as if you were still there. I would tell Weiss that I had to get home to you because you needed me. Frankly I think that I scared him shitless. The CIA took me off active duty until I would agree to undergo counseling from one of their on-staff employees. The counseling was extremely effective in helping me understand that you were gone. That's where I met Lauren."   
  
"Lauren?" Sydney said. "She has a name."   
  
"And a face," said a female voice from behind Sydney.   
  
Sydney turned to lay eyes on a woman she had never seen before in her life but who she knew would be an instant enemy. This was her boyfriend's wife, and that position was never a good one to have.   
  
"Lauren, do you think this was the best time to introduce yourself?" Vaughn asked. He tried unsuccessfully to usher this blonde woman out of the area of Sydney's desk.   
  
"No, I didn't think this was the best of times. I just thought that Miss Bristow would like to know that her flight to Mineral Point, Wisconsin," Lauren said.   
  
"What's there?" Sydney said momentarily distracted.   
  
"Will is," Vaughn said. "That's where the Witness Protection program put him."   
  
"Oh," Sydney grabbed her coat and began to walk away from her desk. Vaughn ran after her.   
  
"Sydney, I'm sorry that you had to meet Lauren that way without me finishing my explanation of the situation."   
  
"Honestly, I'm done hearing what you're trying to say." Sydney looked back at where Lauren was standing talking to an intern. "I didn't know that she worked here with you. How quaint."   
  
"I wanted to warn you. She is an employee of the National Security Council. The only reason she's working out of this office is she's trying to straighten out the whole mess you caused by reappearing."   
  
"Oh great. So I'm the reason that she's here." Sydney threw up her hands in disgust and began to walk away from Vaughn. She turned back to him. "On second thought I don't think we're done with this discussion. You still haven't explained why you got married if you were so sure that I was still alive." Satisfied with her parting words, Sydney nodded at Vaughn and walked out of the CIA facility.   
  
Vaughn sighed in frustration and rushed over to Dixon's office. The secretary held up her hands to stop him. "Mr. Dixon is in a meeting," she informed him.   
  
"I don't care," Vaughn hissed. "I need to talk to him about Sydney now." He lightly moved the secretary out of his way and pushed the office door open.   
  
"Agent Vaughn, I'm in a meeting," Dixon said from his desk.   
  
"I noticed. Sorry to interrupt, sir." He turned to look at who Dixon had an appointment with. "Jack, I'm sorry if this is inconvenient." Vaughn turned back to Dixon. "I just wanted to let you know that this is ridiculous, keeping Sydney out of the loop. She had a right to know what we're doing to stop the Covenant. I mean, that's who we think have had her for the two years she was missing."   
  
"Mr. Vaughn, I explained this to you before. We can't let Sydney know all of what has been going on. It would overload her, and chances are she would go running right back into the arms of the Covenant. This is an official order. You are to continue your life as normal."   
  
"With all due respect, sir, Sydney Bristow was one of the best agents the CIA has seen in years. She deserves to know the truth."   
  
"Agent Vaughn, is this about Will Tippin? Or you?" Jack asked him. "Which truth exactly are you demanding that Sydney know?"   
  
Vaughn sighed in frustration again and barged out of the office as quickly as he barged in.   
  
"I don't think Agent Vaughn is going to be able to do what you ask of him," Jack said from his chair.   
  
"Honestly, I don't know if I would be able to do what I'm asking him if I was in his position," Dixon replied rather ominously.   



	37. Mineral Point, Wisconsin

Sydney walked casually through the streets of Mineral Point, Wisconsin. She was surprised that no one had run up to her screaming stranger. The town was so small she could only assume that she stuck out like the sore thumb that she was.   
  
However, it was without doubt one of the most beautiful, happy towns she had had the pleasure of being in. The streets were filled with people visiting with one another and just enjoying the nice weather. Sydney even had witnessed an impromptu proposal in the middle of the town's park. If she hadn't come to town to try to pull her best friend out of the Witness Protection program, she would have almost enjoyed spending a little vacation time here.   
  
Sydney looked down at the piece of paper that Dixon had scrawled an address on right before she left. "20 Bryn Mawr Lane, here I come," she whispered and began to give direction to her steps.   
  
The house at 20 Bryn Mawr Lane fit the rest of the town perfectly. It looked like it had been built over one hundred years ago by one of the town's founding members. There was a small amount of smoke billowing out of the house's chimney. The front yard contained a small boy playing with who Sydney assumed was his father. The father was wearing the most ridiculous hat Sydney had seen with ear flaps and everything.   
  
"Excuse me," she called even though she hated to interrupt such a picturesque moment. "I'm looking for my friend." She looked down at the paper Dixon had given her once more. "His name's Steve Davis."   
  
"I'm Steve," the man said. "And I have no idea who you are." The man made a move to grab something out of his pocket.   
  
Sydney hurried across the lawn before the man could draw what she only assumed was a gun. "Please don't do that," she called. "You might not know who I am, but I was under the impression that you were my best friend. He likes to take these last minute vacations to small towns like this under aliases. He's kooky like that, and you probably don't believe a word I'm saying..." she trailed off. Sydney sighed and pulled back the hood of her coat. She was a little rusty in her lying skills and didn't think for a minute this man would buy her quickly put together story.   
  
The man gasped slightly and forgot about drawing the gun out of his pocket. He pulled the young boy into his arms and walked towards Sydney.   
  
She was surprised to feel his hand reach out and touch her cheek. "Is that you, Syd?" he asked.   
  
"Will," she said. Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her.   
  
"The CIA said that you had died. What's going on?" Will dragged her over to a bench that was sitting on the front porch of his house. He didn't know if they were being surveyed by anyone.   
  
"I'm not dead," Sydney said with a laugh. "They were wrong."   
  
"Obviously. What are you doing here?"   
  
"I've come to let you know I was still alive. And to officially offer you the option to come home. Dixon said that you might not want to come home. I have no idea why he would think that, but I promised him that I would give you the chance to turn me down." Sydney turned her attention to the small boy Will had in his arms. "Who is this little guy? Don't tell me that you're babysitting for a living? Because that's sad even for you."   
  
Will let out a laugh before sobering up. "No, Syd. I'd like to introduce you to my son, Grayson."   
  
"Your son?" Sydney could feel her eyes bug out. "You have a son?"   
  
"Yeah. And wait until you get a look at my wife."   
  
"You're married?" Sydney screamed. "I thought that day would never come. You never seemed the type to want to settle down."   
  
"I'm still not if that makes sense, Syd. It's a long and complicated story, but that's nothing new to you," Will said with a smirk. Hearing the front door of the house open, he turned to look at his wife.   
  
"Will, I've just finished lunch if you want to come in and eat," his wife called from the front porch. Hearing another voice talking with Will, she added, "Oh! I didn't realize you had company. Invite them in." The door swung shut behind her.   
  
Sydney turned to Will. Two seconds ago, she couldn't believe she could possibly be more shocked. She was wrong. "Is that my sister, William Gregory Tippin?" she hissed forgetting that she wasn't supposed to use that name.   
  
"Um, yeah. Aren't you going to welcome me to the family?" Will said nervously.   
  
"We are going to get up and go into that house. And then the two of you are going to explain to me what the hell is going on."   
  
"I should say the same for you," Will replied. "You still haven't explained what you're doing, coming back from the dead and all and surprising us. I have to say, Syd, that I always believed you could do anything you wanted. But honestly I thought coming back from the dead was even beyond your powers."   
  
Sydney nodded with a small smile and motioned for him to lead the way inside. The trio made it almost completely in the door before Sydney burst ahead to find her sister. She couldn't help but be excited to realize that her sister was safe and sound living in hiding with her best friend. Though she was still confused by the whole situation she had stumbled into.   
  
Kaylee was located in the kitchen taking a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. She turned around and almost dropped the tray on the floor. "Sydney???" she screamed and flung the tray onto the top of the oven haphazardly.   
  
She was across the room before anyone could blink and was pulling Sydney into one of the largest hugs of her life. "What the hell are you doing here?" she continued to scream.   
  
"Hey, sis. I'm not dead," Sydney managed to spit out when her sister let her up for air.   
  
"No shit!" Kaylee yelled.   
  
"Language," Will reminded putting his gloved hands over Grayson's ears.   
  
"Sorry, sorry," Kaylee apologized. "It's been two years, but I'm still getting used to this whole mom thing. What are you doing here Sydney?"   
  
"Well, I'm here on official CIA business. My return from the dead was supposed to be Will's ticket to leaving Witness Protection. Dixon said he thought Will wouldn't want to leave, and I have to admit I didn't understand it at the time. Honestly, I still don't understand it now. Are you two really married? And whose kid is that really?" Sydney got a strange look on her face. "Is he a plant?"   
  
Kaylee led Sydney over to the coach in the room adjoining the kitchen. "No, Will and I are not really married. It's part of our new identities. We're Shelly and Steve Davis, the perfect young couple, who moved in across the street. Don't we fit the bill?"   
  
Sydney took in her sister's appearance. When she had last seen her, Kaylee's hair was bright red with black streaks in it, and she was completely distraught with a life that had no direction. Now it was dyed a light blonde in a haircut that reminded Sydney of a classic 50's housewife. Kaylee appeared to be in complete control of her life and looked very happy. The change was staggering.   
  
Will entered the room with a freshly unbundled young boy. "Grayson, meet your Aunt Sydney," he said introducing the boy again.   
  
"On Tidnee," he muttered.   
  
"He still has some occasional trouble with his S's," Kaylee explained. "Come to mama, sugar." She held her arms open for the young.   
  
"Aunt Sydney," Sydney repeated. She was desperately trying to process this situation. "So that means that he's your son, Kaylee?"   
  
"Yes, he's my son," Kaylee looked at Will wondering if she should tell her the rest. They were interrupted by a loud bang on the front door.   
  
"That will be Wilson with the fresh firewood I paid him five dollars to cut for me," Will said. He left the room to go pay the boy.   
  
"So, Sydney, explain to me a little more about the whole not being dead thing," Kaylee said sitting Grayson squarely on her lap. She decided it best to get off the topic of Grayson and where exactly he came from. That was a story for another day.   
  
"Well, I woke up about a week ago on the streets of Hong Kong, literally. I have no idea where I've been the past two years or who I've been with. All I know is I come back to a life that I feel like I've only left for one day to find my best friend living in hiding with my sister and her son, my old partner running the whole CIA division, and my boyfriend married to another woman."   
  
"Oh," Kaylee said. She couldn't think of anything better to say.   
  
"That about sums up all the feelings I've been feeling for the past seven days," Sydney said with a laugh. "I don't know what to do with myself anymore."   
  
"You'll figure it out," Kaylee said confidently. "We were told that the Covenant had kidnapped you and had you killed for your connection to me."   
  
"Well, all I know is someone named Simon Walker kidnapped me. I don't know if he's a member of the Covenant or a freelancer. I just know what happened up until the point I lost consciousness on the day I disappeared."   
  
"Simon Walker," Kaylee muttered thoughtfully. "That name sounds extremely familiar."   
  
"Maybe you met him somewhere before. Do you think he's an associate of Mom's?"   
  
"No," Kaylee said rather determinately. "There's no way Mom had any hand in your disappearance. Trust me. I lived with the woman for twenty-four years. She may be evil, but she did love you, Sydney."   
  
"So do you think you can come back to L.A. with me?" Sydney asked as Will reentered the room. She really wanted to get off the subject of Irina Derevko, and she also really wanted to know the answer to the question she had come there to ask.   
  
"I think it's about time we went back to reality," Kaylee said looking up at him.   
  
"Are you sure that you want to do that?" Will asked her. "Just because Sydney's home doesn't mean that the danger has passed."   
  
"I'm tired of running, Will," Kaylee admitted. "And tired of trying to be someone I'm not. No matter how hard I try, I'm not the kind of person that can be happy in some small town in Wisconsin. I guess I get it from my mother," she trailed off.   
  
"Maybe it is time for you to get back," Will said. "That's the first time you've mentioned Irina in almost two years.   
  
"Things aren't all smiles and puppies in L.A.," Sydney warned. "But I have to admit that I would love nothing more than for both of you to come back there with me."   
  
Kaylee suddenly got a worried look on her face. "What?" Will asked.   
  
"Will you still stay with Gray and me? He absolutely adores you, Will, and I know I've grown to depend on you. It would kill both of us if we had to..." she trailed off. She wasn't very good with the emotional stuff anymore. Not since Sark had died and left her alone to fend for herself.   
  
"Of course," Will said smiling down at Kaylee and her son. "I wouldn't dream of leaving you two alone."   
  
"Are you two romantically involved?" Sydney said taking note of the way they had seemed to forget she was present. "Because I'd really think I should know if you are."   
  
Kaylee laughed lightly, and Will blushed. "No, we're not," Kaylee said. "He's just my only friend in the whole world. I think you know where I'm coming from with that."   
  
"He's good at that," Sydney said smiling at her friend. "I think it's his calling in life to comfort women who have nowhere else to turn."   
  
"When you're good at something, you stick with it," Will said with a smile. He turned to Kaylee. "How quick can you get packed?"   
  
Kaylee grinned widely and flung herself into Will's arm. "This means so much to me, Will. Thank you."   
  
Sydney watched as her sister rushed out of the room to go pack everything she would ever need or want. Turning back to her friend, she remembered one of the things she had been dying to ask him. "Will?" she said hesitantly.   
  
"Yeah, Syd?"   
  
"Do you know what happened to Francie? No one seems to be able to tell me what happened to her. I went to her restaurant when the CIA gave me a moment to breathe, and it was all closed down and boarded up. No one seemed to know anything."   
  
"Don't worry," Will said reaching for her hand in reassurance. "Francie's fine now. At the time, she wasn't coping with your death so well. I was concerned for her, but I couldn't leave Kaylee alone to fend for herself. So I left Francie. I'm not proud, but I had to make a decision. I had the CIA send me constant updates on how Francie was doing, but you better believe I was feeling the constant guilt of abandoning her."   
  
"Aw, Will. I'm sure she wasn't mad at you for leaving. She was my roommate for how many years. That gave her plenty of experience with coping with a friend who couldn't be there for her all the time. But I know exactly what you mean about the guilt."   
  
"It took Francie almost the whole two years you were dead to get used to the fact that you weren't coming back to us. Honestly, the only other person I knew who took your death worse than that was Vaughn. A month or two ago, I got word that the restaurant had burned down. It took Kaylee hours to convince me not to go running back to L.A."   
  
"It had to have been horrible for you, knowing that you couldn't go to her to help."   
  
"It was. But Francie used the fire as a reason to get on with her life. She packed up and moved to London."   
  
"She had always joked about doing that," Sydney said with a smile   
  
"I know. The last I heard she had opened another restaurant there and was doing just fine. I convinced the CIA to let me contact her on a secure line. So I've talked to her a lot since she's moved overseas."   
  
He stood up and went over to the desk that was sitting on the far wall. After a minute of rifling through the chaos in it, he returned to the coach and Sydney with a piece of paper in his hand. "This is her number in London, Syd. Why don't you give her a call while we're waiting? Let her know you're alive."   
  
Sydney squeezed Will's hand in a display of her gratitude and got up to place a very important phone call.   
  
"Back to living with both of the Bristow girls," Will said as he put his feet up on the coffee table. "Life could be a hell of a lot worse."   



	38. Mommy Dearest

Kaylee looked over at Sydney and was surprised to find that Sydney was staring right back at her. "What?" she asked.   
  
"I was just wondering what happened to you the two years I've been gone," Sydney said. "You look so different. Honestly, I never would have thought you'd give up the life you had with Mom and Sark. I thought you would just stay with me for a few days and then go running back to that life. It seemed that you loved Sark so much. What changed?"   
  
Kaylee braced herself as the plane hit a few bumps of turbulence and tried to form a gentle way of telling her sister what had happened. When she couldn't come up with one, she chose the blunt method. "I'll tell you what changed, Sydney. Sark died. The life he led killed him just like I thought it had killed you."   
  
"What?" Sydney said. No one had even hinted to the fact that Sark had died in the two years she was gone. "No one told me that he had died. I had no idea. I thought that cocky son of a bitch would be around forever like a nasty thorn in my side." She looked up at Kaylee to see a disgusted look on her face. "Sorry. I know you cared about him. When did it happen? You had to have been in hiding before it happened. So why did you still go into Witness Protection knowing that he was still out there?"   
  
"He died on the same day you went missing. I had a pretty bad day that day." Kaylee laughed thinking about it in retrospect.   
  
"I'll say. What happened with him?"   
  
"There was an explosion in the building he was in Hong Kong."   
  
"Hong Kong?" Sydney asked to clarify what her sister had just said. "Do you think that has anything to do with my disappearance? I don't want to be constantly turning the subject back to me, but, I mean, I did turn up on the streets of Hong Kong with a nice case of two-year amnesia."   
  
"I don't know," Kaylee answered honestly. "I'm a little rusty at the whole thinking thing in terms of this whole spy world. I'm not quite as sharp as I used to be. Guess I'll have to work on that. I don't think anything's a coincidence, though."   
  
"So, there was just an explosion and Sark died?" Sydney asked.   
  
"Supposedly. I found out I was pregnant with Grayson the same day you disappeared and he died. The CIA had me in custody because Marshall had cracked the Rambaldi prophecy and frankly, I think they were scared to have me running free."   
  
"I always knew Marshall would solve that puzzle," Sydney said. Kaylee could hear the pride resonate in her voice.   
  
"You were really proud of him, weren't you?"   
  
"Marshall's intelligence has saved me countless times. He's one of my truest friends." Sydney grinned to herself thinking about Marshall. She hadn't seen him since she got back, but Dixon assured her that he was still around.   
  
"Vaughn broke the news about what happened to you and Sark," Kaylee said. She knew her sister was deliberately avoiding the subject of Vaughn and she wanted to know why. "How is Vaughn doing?"   
  
"Oh he's just peachy. You wouldn't have known, but it turns out he got married." Sydney couldn't hide the bitterness in her voice. "He believed the CIA when they said I was dead. He gave up on me and moved on. Just another ex-boyfriend to add to the list." She paused. "At least this one didn't die on me."   
  
"Sydney!" Kaylee said sharply. "Don't try to make light of the situation. You're hurt. I can tell that. Tell me what happened."   
  
"I'd rather not," Sydney said. "At least not right now, Kaylee. I need a little time." She took a deep breath. "So what was the prophecy that Marshall stumbled upon?"   
  
"I was going to render the greatest power unto utter desolation, right? Marshall figured out that I was going to have a child. That child would be the key to Rambaldi's real prophecy."   
  
"Grayson?" Sydney said. She couldn't believe that a little innocent two-year-old was mixed up in this whole Rambaldi mess.   
  
"Yeah, which is the real reason that the CIA shoved me into the Witness Protection program. Will came along of his own free will. He didn't want me to be all alone in this world," Kaylee said. "I don't know if I'm even allowed to be telling you this."   
  
"Then let's get back to the subject of Sark. Do you truly believe he died in such a passive way as a building explosion? It just doesn't make any sense, Kaylee. I wasn't really fond of the guy, but I never would have wished death on him and in such a horribly unpoetic way."   
  
"That was my first reaction. I thought there was no way he could have died in such a simple, stupid way. But he never tried to find or contact me. And trust me, I made it very easy for him to find me if that's what he wanted. I can't imagine that he wouldn't try to find me if he was still alive. So he must be dead."   
  
Sydney smiled at her sister. "Yeah, you're right. I have to say that it's kind of ironic. I was just adjusting to the idea that you were going to marry one of the worst men I could imagine."   
  
Kaylee laughed. "That's good to know."   
  
"Do you think if he was alive that he'd be able to locate you? You were in Witness Protection and all."   
  
"Don't try to put hope in my head, Sydney." Kaylee shook her head in disgust. "The last thing I need right now is some foolish hope that he's still alive."   
  
"If he was alive, would you go running back to him?"   
  
Kaylee wiped a tear from her eye. "I don't know," she whispered.   
  
"Why don't you follow Will and Grayson's lead and get some sleep?" Sydney suggested, trying to change the subject again. She pointed over to where Will was sitting. Kaylee smiled at the sight of her son asleep on Will's chest.   
  
"Will really loves him," Kaylee said. "I'm dreading the day that I have to cut him free. He's not Gray's father, and I don't want to tie him down."   
  
"Maybe it's what Will wants."   
  
"But it's not what he need, Sydney." Kaylee smiled weakly at her sister and turned towards the window, signaling the end of their conversation.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
An hour later, the plane landed in one of the CIA's official hangers, and the foursome made their way into the headquarters. Sydney knew that Dixon would want Will and Kaylee checked out and debriefed almost immediately. All she wanted to do was hide them far away from the CIA's reach. She knew now that they were back in L.A. they would be sucked right back into the hectic life that they all were too familiar with. Having seen them so happy in Wisconsin, she really didn't want to subject them to that change.   
  
"Are you ready?" Sydney asked as she pressed in a code to open a hidden door into the facility. "Because you know I can take you right back to Wisconsin if you've changed your mind. The second we step foot in there, though, it will be too late to turn back. Are you sure this is what you want, and you're not just humoring my request?"   
  
"Yeah, I kind of missed this life," Will said with a smile. "It's a young boy's dream to work as a spy with the U.S. government, you know?"   
  
"You were never a spy, Will," Kaylee reminded him. "You were just an analyst."   
  
"But my best friend was a spy and that's close enough for me."   
  
"We're sure of what we're doing, Sydney. Don't be scared that you pressured us into this," Kaylee said sympathetically.   
  
"Yeah, Syd. That life we had in Wisconsin was nice, but it really wasn't a life I want to be living forever. It was a nice break, but I'm glad to be back in L.A."   
  
Sydney smiled and led them through the main floor of the CIA's facility and into Dixon's office. She ignored the looks of surprise and question she received from most of the people they passed. Office gossip would take care of informing all of them by lunch why she had returned with Kaylee, Will, and a young boy in tow. Sydney waved the secretary away before she could inform them that Dixon was in a meeting.   
  
"I know he's in a meeting," Sydney said. "He's always in a meeting. I don't care. This is important." She knocked softly on the door and let herself in. "Dixon, I brought Will Tippin and my sister back to L.A. with me. Oh!" Sydney stopped in shock at who she saw sitting at the boss's desk. "What are you doing here?"   
  
Irina Derevko looked at both of her daughters and smiled. "Surprise, darlings."   



	39. A Boat With a Funny Name

"That's a stupid name for a boat," whined young Matt Turner. He had snuck into the boatyards that morning and had just decided to come out of hiding. He didn't want his father to find out he had ran away from school again, but this boat's name was way too strange not to reveal his hiding place to comment on.   
  
The man who owned the boat stared at the young boy who had shouted at him. "It means something to me, kid," he snarled. "And may I ask what you're doing on this boat in the first place?"   
  
"I ran away from school. It's horrible," the young boy informed him. He wiggled out of his hiding place on the dock. "You're not going to tell my father that you saw me down here?"   
  
"I haven't decided yet," the man answered. "Do you know who I am?"   
  
"Yeah. You're Mr. Fisk. All my friends are scared of you. They're going to flip when they find out I talked to you."   
  
The man couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's statements. "You can call me Logan. Are you hungry, boy?"   
  
"Yes, but my mom said I shouldn't eat food from strangers. And I don't know you."   
  
"Well, come aboard and maybe you'll get to know me. Then I won't be a stranger and you can eat my food." Logan Fisk held his hand out to help the boy on to his boat. "If you don't mind sitting alone for a while, I'm sure there's something on the television you'll find interesting. I need to clean up a bit."   
  
"Not a problem," Matt said as he caught sight of the little TV that Logan had bought at the previous harbor.   
  
Logan Fisk smiled at the young boy's exuberance for television and made his way to the small room he called his home. He had been on the sea and in and out of ports for the past six months without rest. "And without a proper shower," he muttered to himself running a hand through his beard. He had purposefully let his hair and beard grow so that he would look as scary as the town kids thought. He was glad to hear from Matt Turner that it was working. It was always easier if everyone was too afraid to ask him questions.   
  
Sighing, he quickly washed his face and hair and threw on some clean clothes. He didn't want to leave the boy alone too long on his ship. Who knows what trouble he could get into? He grabbed the cleanest towel within his reach and made his way back to where Matt was watching television.   
  
"You like her, huh?" Logan asked calling attention to the pretty blonde who was on the TV. "You watch a lot of soap operas, kid?"   
  
"My mom likes General Hospital. It's not so bad. There are mobsters and guns on all the time."   
  
"So why are you so interested in this storyline?" Logan asked, pulling the kid's leg. "Find the lady pretty?"   
  
"Girls are icky," Matt swiftly volunteered.   
  
"That'll change someday," Logan said. "So, kid, why did you skip out on school? Let me guess. There's this big kid bullying you, and your mom says that you just have to go to school and bear it."   
  
"Yeah," he affirmed. He couldn't believe this guy was being so nice to him. He always thought Logan Fisk was the scariest man he had ever met. "How'd you know?"   
  
"I got teased a lot when I was young. It's okay, kid. Eventually you get bigger and the teasing will stop."   
  
"Thanks, sir."   
  
"Cut out the sir crap. You can call me Logan."   
  
"Okay, Mr. Logan. Can I look around your boat?" he asked.   
  
"Sure. It's nothing much, but I think of it as home." Logan watched the kid get up and begin to poke his nose through the kitchen drawers. He knew that he should probably be ushering the kid back to school, but he hadn't talked to a person in so long. And the kid was entertaining.   
  
"Is this you?" Matt said holding up a framed picture he had found in one of the drawers.   
  
"Yeah. That was in my smoother days."   
  
"You look more friendly without a beard," Matt said. "Who's the dame?"   
  
"Word of advice, kid," Logan said as he took the picture and shoved it back into the drawer. "Don't call women dames. They really don't like it."   
  
"Okay, so who's the woman then?" he persisted.   
  
"Just a woman I used to know." Logan got up and began to rifle through the small refrigerator he kept on board the boat. "Do you like ham and cheese sandwiches?"   
  
"As long as you have mustard," Matt said as Logan began to make a sandwich. "You promise not to poison me, right?"   
  
"I haven't poisoned anyone in two years, Mr. Turner. Why would I start with you?"   
  
Matt gulped loudly. It really didn't sound like Logan was joking about poisoning people. "Maybe he is still scary," he thought to himself.   
  
Grabbing the sandwich that Logan held out to him, he began to make his way off of the ship. "Thanks for the sandwich, Mr. Logan."   
  
Logan watched him walk down the docks. He turned back slightly when he was almost out of sight. "Hey, Mr. Logan?" he called.   
  
"What's the matter, kid?"   
  
"Can I come back here again sometime?"   
  
"Sure, kid," he called with a smile. "I could use a little company," he continued to himself.   
  
Matt smiled, surprised that Logan Fisk had actually said it was okay for him to come back. He took one last look at the boat and turned, mumbling, "I still think that Beautiful Kaylee is a stupid name for a ship."   



	40. Pardons and Deals

"Sydney!" Dixon yelled as he tried to hold her back from lunging at her mother. "Please calm down. Irina Derevko is here as a guest of the United States government."   
  
"How the hell is that possible?" Sydney yelled. "The last I checked she was the most wanted person alive. What happened in the two years that I've been gone that makes it okay for her to be sitting in your office?"   
  
Dixon looked at Kaylee and Will to see how they were taken the sudden appearance of Derevko. Will just held his hands up and back out of the office muttering something about this being a family thing. Kaylee just stared intently at her mother. She was happy that she left Grayson in Marshall's capable hands. She didn't want her mother to know that she had returned with her son.   
  
"Sydney, Kaylee, please sit down so we can talk about this like rational adults," Irina said.   
  
"Get out of my chair, Derevko," Dixon said walking back behind his desk. She smiled at him slyly and got up from her seat. Dixon turned his attention back to the other two women in the room. "Irina Derevko was given a presidential pardon for her actions against the state. She has been helping us try to locate you for the past year, Sydney."   
  
"I thought you said the CIA believed I was dead," Sydney said.   
  
"That wasn't a lie," Dixon informed her. "The official CIA position was that the body we recovered was yours, and you did die in Taipei. However, none of those who were close to you really believed that you were dead. I kept my own investigation going on the side."   
  
"But how did that lead to a pardon from our mother?" Kaylee said. She was starting to feel a little uneasy sitting in the same room as the woman who had raised her for twenty-four years.   
  
"Well, my personal investigation didn't turn up anything. I was about to abandon it when your father insisted that he be given one more week to tie up some loose ends. I didn't know it at the time, but he intended to hunt down your mother and enlist her help. I couldn't officially sanction this so he did it without my knowledge."   
  
"He really believed you were alive, Sydney," Irina added. "As did I. I had been running my own investigation into your death. The answers I was getting never really added up. So when Jack came to me, I gladly enlisted my resources in his search."   
  
"I had no idea that Jack had gone to Irina for help until the two of them waltzed right into Langley demanding to talk with the head of the CIA."   
  
"This is unreal," Kaylee whispered to her sister in complete shock.   
  
"When is anything that happens to us ever real or logical?" Sydney whispered back.   
  
"In our search for you, Sydney, your father and I stumbled upon the identities of some of the high-ranking officials of the Covenant. We realized that our search was going nowhere and chose to reveal our partnership so we could alert the CIA to the new intel we had stumbled upon." Irina smiled at her daughters.   
  
"The information she provided us has brought us really close to taking down the Covenant much in the same way we took down SD-6 three years ago."   
  
"And for that she got a pardon?" Sydney asked.   
  
"It was huge intel, Sydney," Vaughn said as he entered the meeting. "I heard that Sydney had returned and I was afraid that she would stumble on her mother."   
  
"Too bad you couldn't have caught us five minutes ago," Kaylee said with a laugh.   
  
"I can see that my presence here is upsetting you," Irina said standing up from her chair. "I'll leave. When you girls are ready, we can talk."   
  
Sydney and Kaylee stared as their mother left the room. As soon as the door clicked shut, Sydney was out of her chair screaming, "So what the hell is really going on? I don't buy any of that pardon shit. What is she doing here?"   
  
"Sydney, she was telling the truth," Dixon insisted. "After she turned herself in, the government did a full check on her. She sat in a containment cell for six months."   
  
"This is the first day that the CIA has allowed her to roam free, so to speak," Vaughn said. "She has a man assigned to her twenty-four/seven. The CIA has given her a little trust, but not that much."   
  
"So, she's being monitored. At least that sounds semi-sensible," Kaylee said trying to sound hopeful. "If you'll excuse me, I'd really like to speak with my mother." She gently patted Sydney's shoulder and left the room.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
"Mom!" Kaylee called after her mother. "Wait up. I want to speak with you."   
  
"I knew you'd be first one to come to me," Irina said turning to send a smile her daughter's way. "Ask me whatever you want to know. I'll answer."   
  
"Did you know that I was alive?"   
  
"Not at first. The CIA told me that you were alive and in hiding when they took me into their custody. I guess they figured that was my reward for doing the right thing and turning in the intel your father and I found."   
  
"And you didn't try to contact me?" Kaylee asked. She wasn't sure if she could believe a word her mother said to her.   
  
"I didn't have a spare minute. Today is the first day that the CIA has allowed me to see the light of day. If you hadn't come in to this facility, I would have found a way to contact you. The CIA figured with both of you back in action that it was okay to lax up a little on me, I guess. Which would have made contacting you incredibly easy if you hadn't come back to Los Angeles."   
  
"That's ridiculous thinking of the CIA, then. Now that Sydney and I are back, it's more likely that you'll rebel against the CIA. Mom, I know who you are. You're only working with the CIA because it's convenient for you and whatever plan you're currently working on. I know that the second the CIA becomes useless you'll disappear into the night."   
  
"I did raise you the way I thought was right," Irina said distractedly.   
  
"You raised me to know what kind of person you really are."   
  
"And you were never ashamed of me. I'm proud of that."   
  
"I know who you are. I've had a lot of time to think it over." Kaylee took a deep breath. "As much as you've hurt me in the past, I still trust you with my life, Mom. And I'll always support you in anything you do."   
  
Irina blinked the tears back from her eyes. "Don't let the Agency hear you say that. You'll find yourself locked up in one of those containment cells again."   
  
"There are worse things."   
  
"Like Wisconsin?" Irina asked with a smile.   
  
Kaylee pulled her mother into a hug. "I really missed you, Mom."   
  
"Don't let anyone hear you say that either," Irina whispered as a tear fell from her eye.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
"This is all too much," Sydney said. She lowered herself back into her chair and put her head in her hands. "I don't know how much more surprises I can take."   
  
Vaughn tried to lighten the mood a little. "I saw you brought Kaylee and Will back with you. It must be nice to have a few familiar faces around."   
  
"Yeah. It's great," Sydney said with a weak smile. "I just wish I understood why my life resembles a dream more than the real thing."   
  
"It's going to take some time to get used to," Vaughn said putting his left hand on her shoulder in support.   
  
Sydney looked at it in disgust. "Shouldn't you be with your wife?" she spat out.   
  
Vaughn sighed. "You're tired, Sydney. Any fool could see that. Why don't you go to the home that Weiss found for you and rest for a while? Take Will with you. You two need to catch up."   
  
"I think that I need to catch up with just about every person I've ever known." Sydney got up from her seat and left the office without another word spoken.   
  
"Did I see Marshall playing with a small child?" Vaughn asked as he watched Sydney make her way out of the office.   
  
"That was Grayson Tippin," Dixon informed Vaughn.   
  
"That was the child of the prophecy?" Vaughn asked in disbelief. "What is he doing here?"   
  
"Kaylee's returned to L.A. You know that. It makes sense that she would bring her son back with her."   
  
"But I thought part of the agreement you made with her is that you put her in Witness Protection if she kept that boy as far away from the world of spying as she could."   
  
"I know. I'm thinking there's a good reason she chose to come back. I just haven't had time to ask her yet," Dixon said.   
  
"Can I ask you a question?"   
  
"When have you ever waited for my permission to ask me a question?"   
  
Vaughn scowled at Dixon. "Why did you refer to Grayson as Grayson Tippin? I thought that Will was just pretending to be Kaylee's husband."   
  
"He is. Another part of the deal I made with Kaylee was that the boy couldn't go by the Derevko name. It would be way too easy for others to figure out who he really is. So when Will agreed to go into the program with Kaylee, the two of them agreed the child would go by his last name."   
  
"That could confuse a lot of people," Vaughn stated.   
  
"Yes. Now, Agent Vaughn, what is the real reason that you burst into my private meeting?"   
  
Vaughn blushed slightly. "I was concerned for Sydney. I didn't know what seeing her mother would do to her."   
  
"Agent Vaughn, I'd like to remind you that you are a married man. You can't show such open concern for your ex-girlfriend."   
  
"I could if you would let me tell her the truth about my marriage."   
  
"She's not ready to know yet, Michael," Dixon said placing a hand on Vaughn's arm. "When she is, I'll let you tell her. Until then?"   
  
"I know. We can't tell her the truth." Vaughn frowned. "I still don't have to like it."   
  
"No, you can hate it as much as you like as long as you don't tell her who your wife really is."   



	41. Returning to Life

Logan Fisk stared at the picture that young Matt had dug out of the depths of one of the drawers. He hadn't looked at that picture in a very long time. It brought up too many bad memories.   
  
"I miss you, Kaylee," he whispered as he gently stroked the picture of her face. "I never stop thinking about you."   
  
He could still remember the day of the explosion like it was yesterday. He had managed to make it far enough down the building that the explosion only threw him a few feet. The blast destroyed the top three floors of the building, but luckily he made it to the fourth from the top. The building crumbled around him, but he managed to find a small air pocket in the rubble to hide in until someone tried to dig out the survivors.   
  
When he emerged from the rubble, one of his employees had been waiting for him. They had received intel that Kaylee Derevko was dead. He had known a long time before that she was confused about her place in Irina Derevko's life and her relationship with him. He could respect the fact that she turned to her sister and father for comfort. But he had always been worried about what the CIA would do to her.   
  
Which was why he wasn't surprised to hear they had thrown her in a containment cell for the crimes that she had committed for her mother. It also made it easier to believe when his employee told him that the Covenant had kidnapped Kaylee from the CIA's imprisonment. They had interrogated her, and when she wouldn't talk, they had her killed. He knew that someone could have easily tampered with the intel, but it checked out. Kaylee Derevko was nowhere to be found. She wasn't in CIA custody, and she certainly wasn't in the Covenant's incapable hands.   
  
He had lost his mind trying to deal with the grief of her death. He walked away from his employee that day and never turned back. The first boat he could find became the ship he now thought of as home. He left all reminders of his previous life behind except for this picture. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to leave it sitting on the night stand where it had been stored for months. It was taken on the night he had proposed to Kaylee by a street man trying to make a few extra bucks by taking snapshots of the tourists. Seeing the happy couple, he had swooped in for an easy sale.   
  
He continued to look at the picture as the tears began to trail down his face. He didn't even have the energy anymore to wipe them away. Little Matt Turner had no idea the feelings he had dredged up by unearthing this photo.   
  
The anger got the better of him, though, and he found himself hurling the picture up against one of the ship's walls. The glass broke with a satisfying crunch. He heard footsteps behind him as someone made their way down below to where he was sitting, but he didn't have the energy to turn and yell at the person to get off his ship.   
  
"You are a sight for sore eyes, Andrew," came an extremely familiar voice.   
  
"What the hell are you doing here, Irina?" he snarled back at her. "I thought it would be clear to you that I don't want anything to do with you or your organization."   
  
"I have to say I was surprised that you picked such a horrible name to live under," she said with a laugh. "Logan Fisk. It sounds like something out of a comic book. What were you thinking?"   
  
"Get out, Irina. I don't want to engage in your witty banter." He glared at his former employer.   
  
"You're not at all curious what I've been up to these past two years that you spent sailing the high sea." She paused to gauge his reaction. "No, you're not curious at all. But you should be."   
  
"I really don't have the energy to do this, Irina. Please get off my ship and get out of my life."   
  
"You've become a broody, self-pitying mess, Sark. And I'm ashamed to call you my friend."   
  
Sark laughed. "We were never friends. Colleagues, yes. But friends, no."   
  
"Well, I think otherwise. You were one of the few people I trusted completely. In my mind, that makes you my friend."   
  
"How did you find me?" He hoped that by asking the right questions he could convince her to leave his ship.   
  
"You leave a very easy trail to follow. Obviously I didn't teach you as well as I had hoped. You see, I just decided I wanted to find you and there you were. In a small town harbor on a ship that was falling apart. A ship named for my daughter."   
  
"I loved her."   
  
"Why'd you stop?" Irina asked. She knew the answer to the question, but she lived to set people up for life-altering revelations. It was one of the few joys she had left in life.   
  
"What are you playing at?" Sark hissed. "I'm not in the mood to dance around the subject or talk about your dead daughter. Why are you risking being picked up by the CIA to talk with me?"   
  
"The CIA loves me. They wouldn't dream of trying to arrest. Granted they did give me a babysitter for this little excursion into Small Town America. But I lost him somewhere near Charlotte. I'm their new favorite agent, didn't you hear?"   
  
Sark grabbed Irina's arm forcefully and dragged her off the boat and onto the docks. "I'm tired of your crap, Irina. Have a nice life. Don't try to find me again." He began to untie his boat, fully intending to pick up anchor and sail to another town where no one knew who he was.   
  
"You're just bitter because you think my daughter, the love of your life, is dead," Irina stated.   
  
Sark was determined to ignore her, but something in the way she phrased that sentence stopped him dead in his tracks. "What do you mean I think Kaylee is dead?" he asked.   
  
"Exactly as it sounds," Irina said with a shrug. She turned to leave calling over her shoulder, "Have a nice life, Andrew!"   
  
Sighing, he ran after her and grabbed her arm, effectively spinning her back towards him. "Explain. Now," he demanded forcefully.   
  
"You stupid idiot," Irina said as she poked his chest. "Kaylee is not, nor has she ever been, dead. She's alive and well. And she thinks you're dead. I didn't correct her. I didn't know if you wanted me to. You left my service without a word explaining what had happened. I could only assume that it was because you thought that Kaylee was gone from your life forever. You were never really good at verifying the information you received. I mean she's been living in Wisconsin for the past two years with Will Tippin, and you couldn't figure that out by yourself. Just another reason you should have stuck with me. Seems to me that she has a great life without you. And you are doing just fine and dandy being Mr. Scary Sailor. I wasn't sure that you wanted your quiet little life interrupted either."   
  
"I'm just supposed to believe that you're telling me the truth?" Sark asked.   
  
"I don't know how this whole mess happened. Honestly, I don't. I just wake up one day and my firstborn child is being sold to the Covenant. Everyone thinks she's dead. Then my second born child is missing in action, but she turns up in the hands of the CIA. I don't find that out of course until it's too late. Half the world thinks she's dead, too. Including you, my most trusted employee, who seems to lose all his senses and becomes a wandering sailor with the worst beard I have ever seen. You really need to shave that."   
  
"You're the second person to tell me that today," Sark said with a smirk.   
  
"I'm glad to see you returning to your old self." She didn't really enjoy toying with Sark and his emotions. She had actually grown to love the man. But she knew that explaining to him why she needed him to come with her wasn't going to get him to comply.   
  
"What was your real reason for coming here and telling me all of this, Irina? I know you to well to think you did it out of kindness to Kaylee or me."   
  
"You're right," Irina said with a smile. "I do have my own agenda. I need Kaylee out of the CIA's clutches. It's as simple and selfish as that. I don't want my daughter living in that world. She belongs by my side. As do you."   
  
"I vowed I'd never go back to that life," Sark told her.   
  
"That was when you thought Kaylee was dead. She's alive. And she needs you. More than you know." Irina held her hand out to him. "Are you ready to return to your old life, Andrew?"   
  
Smiling, he grasped her hand and gave it a light kiss. "I think I am."   



	42. The Story Behind the Pardon

Waiting patiently for Jack Bristow to return from his mission was not Sydney's idea of a fun time. She had been the first one notified when his flight from Madagascar had landed. Now she found herself sitting in his cubicle hoping that he followed normal routine and checked in at the office before going home.   
  
"How are you doing, Syd?" Vaughn said sticking his head into Jack's cubicle.   
  
"Okay. I just wish my father would get here soon. I feel like a fish out of water in this office."   
  
"You'll adjust," he said with a smile.   
  
"Where's your wife?" Sydney asked. She didn't mean it to sound as hurtful as bitter as it came out.   
  
"Lauren has some official NSC business to do. She's taken her laptop home and locked herself in her office."   
  
"She makes you happy, doesn't she?" Sydney said. "I can see that when you two are together." She could see his shoulders stiffen slightly at that comment.   
  
"She's my wife," was all he said in reply. "Jack just came in to the facility. I'll leave you alone so you can talk with him."   
  
"Thanks, Vaughn," Sydney said with a smile. She still couldn't understand why every conversation she had with him ended so strangely.   
  
Sydney stood up to watch her father move across the facility making his way to Dixon's office. He was obviously intended to debrief his boss as soon as possible so he could go home. Sydney had done it a million times, so she knew that if she didn't stop him now, she wouldn't catch him until the next day. She hurried to intercept him.   
  
"Dad!" she yelled.   
  
Hearing his daughter's voice, Jack scanned the office. "Sydney, what are you doing here in the office? I thought Dixon had ordered you to take some time off to reacclimate yourself to this environment."   
  
"He did. I'm a Bristow. I didn't listen," Sydney said jokingly.   
  
"What is it you need to speak to me about?" Jack grasped her arm and led her to a meeting room that was unoccupied.   
  
"I want to know how the hell you can trust Mom to the point of letting the CIA pardon her."   
  
"Sydney, your mother gave me unlimited access to all her resources in our search to find you. I'm not a stupid man. I know that she has her own agenda. But I believed her when she said that she wanted to make sure you were safe."   
  
"I thought you said you would never trust her."   
  
"I know I said that. When she was a part of our family... you were too young to remember what that was like. I do. She does have a genuine love for you, Sydney. It's been warped and altered by the life that we live, but it's still there."   
  
"So, you let her be pardoned by the government because you think she loves me?" Sydney asked. Her conversations with her father were usually pretty confusing, but this one didn't even come close to making any sense.   
  
"I allowed her to be pardoned so that she would let her guard down a little. I want to know what her agenda is. The easiest way to find out is to let her get comfortable with me." Jack looked at his daughter intently. "I don't know if I ever told you this. One of the reasons your mother left when she did was because I was getting suspicious of her. I was noticing the little inconsistencies in her behavior."   
  
"She saw that you were letting her get comfortable in her life so that you could gather information on her."   
  
"Exactly. When she realized that I was beginning to suspect she wasn't really Laura Bristow, she was forced to abandon her mission and flee."   
  
"So you were trying to gather data on her organization. That was why you let the government pardon her." Sydney thought it over for a second. "How's that working out for you?"   
  
"To be honest, not that well. She's currently m.i.a. She scheduled a trip with the CIA to go to Boston, but the man whose job it was to tail her lost her."   
  
"The CIA has no idea where my mother is right now?"   
  
"No, they don't. Which completely defeats all the reasons I let the government pardon her without protesting. I thought with the CIA keeping constant surveillance on her, we might find out what she has been up to the past two years."   
  
"Doesn't really work when every time she makes a move the CIA can't find her."   
  
"Just add it to the list of mistakes I've made when it comes to your mother," Jack admitted. "I'm sorry if that's disappointing to you, Sydney."   
  
Sydney sighed. "That's not what bothers me about this situation, Dad. I know that you can handle being tricked by Mom. When you let her be pardoned, it was an acceptable risk in your eyes. The thing that concerns me is Kaylee. Mom has a special bond with her. I'm afraid that now that all the players are back in action she's going to go running back to life she once had."   
  
"I don't think she'd subject her child to that," Jack said. "Being a parent changes the way a person thinks and acts."   
  
"I'm just scared that her being a mother is not going to be enough," Sydney admitted. "I'm scared that she's going to go back to Mom and prove that Rambaldi's prophecy is right."   
  
Jack put his arm around his daughter in comfort and gave her a smile. "Don't let it bother you, Sydney. I don't think Kaylee will be having to make that decision for a while yet."   
  
Sydney smiled back at him. "I guess I should be focusing more on trying to figure out where I've been for the past two years than worrying about where everyone else has been."   
  
"You're worried about what you might have done when you were missing," Jack observed.   
  
"I was with the Covenant. Obviously I served some great purpose or they would have just held me for ransom, tortured me, or had me killed. There was some reason that they wanted me to stay alive. I don't know if I was running missions for them or not. It kills me not knowing how I spent two years of my life."   
  
"You'll figure it out eventually, Sydney. At least you know that this Simon Walker had something to do with your disappearance. That provides us a solid base to start searching from."   
  
"You're going to help?" Sydney asked. She was surprised that her father was so willing to help. He always seemed to have his own agenda to contend to.   
  
"I think that finding out where you've been the past two years is going to be the key to answering a lot of questions that CIA has," Jack admitted. "And I know how much it upsets it. I am your father."   
  
Sydney wiped her eyes and stood up from the chair she had sat down in a few minutes earlier. "I'm going to go talk with Dixon. Maybe I can convince him to put out a search for Simon Walker. I might be able to get the answers I need from him." Sydney began to walk out of the room but turned back as she almost reached the door. "Don't give up on watching Mom. I don't know if she had something directly to do with my missing two years, but I think she's connected in some way. I still don't believe that she wanted to find me out of the goodness of her heart. It doesn't add up."   
  
"I'll try to keep tabs on her still. Even if it doesn't help in your search, it may help ease your fears that she's trying to get at Kaylee," Jack admitted.   



	43. Resurrections

Sark slid his jacket onto his shoulders and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He couldn't believe that he was willingly jumping back into this life. He thought that when Kaylee had died he was out of it for good.   
  
"She's not dead," he whispered to himself. He was still having trouble believing what Irina had told him was true. The fact that he had believed bad intel was completely against everything he thought he was. He was supposed to be efficient, and obviously he wasn't.   
  
He ran his fingers through his newly cut hair and tried to think of reasons why he should just turn around and go back to being a wandering sailor. All the confidence that he had been known for seemed to have left his body in the past two years. He knew that no matter how much he hoped that when he found Kaylee she wouldn't come running back into his arms. She had gone into hiding. There were reasons behind that, reasons he didn't know.   
  
"Are you sure that you're ready for this?" Irina asked as she entered the room. "I wouldn't feel ashamed if you needed more time to adjust."   
  
"I want to see her, Irina," Sark said. "I need to see her."   
  
She nodded. Sark started towards the door but was stopped by a hand on his chest. Irina looked into his eyes. "You might not be happy with what you find," she said elusively.   
  
"I'll be happy just to see her alive again." He sighed. "I just want to see her again. I don't even have to talk to her. As long as I know she's all right, that will be enough."   
  
Irina nodded again in approval. "You are ready to see her," she called over her shoulder as she left the room.   
  
Sark paled. He was glad that Irina was buying his strong routine, but he knew deep down inside he might not be ready to see her again. It all went back to that theory about her having her reasons to disappear. She disappeared without leaving him any sort of notice that she was gone. He was pretty sure that that meant she wouldn't be so excited seeing him again.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
"I can't believe I got a whole day away from my confusing life, kid," Kaylee said as she gently tossed her son into the air. "I thought that they would have your mommy locked up tight in a cell by now. They're suspicious of you and me, you know that?" She laughed as she sat down on the blanket she had spread out earlier. "And your mother's going crazy carrying on conversations with you that you don't understand. But at least you listen and don't judge."   
  
Kaylee knew that Grayson understood what she was saying on an elementary level. Just as she would have predicted, what with him being the child in the Rambaldi prophecy, Grayson was a little ahead of his time in terms of language and brain development. He could understand concepts like his name, which wasn't really typical in a child until they were at least three years old. Nothing about this child's development could surprise her though.   
  
She was still running the conversation she had had with her mother through her head as she watched Grayson crawl around the blanket. She had no idea why she had told her mother that she still trusted her. It just felt so easy to fall back into the way her life once was.   
  
Grayson pulled her out of her thoughts by yanking hard on her hair.   
  
"Ow," she yelled. "Let go of Mommy's hair right now, young man." Sighing she scooped him up into her arms. "You look like your father so much, little man. I miss him a lot you know. He would know exactly what to do with this whole mess if he were here. But he's not."   
  
"Up clouds," Grayson said.   
  
"That's right," Kaylee said with a smile. "Your daddy is up in the clouds with the angels." She tried to smile as she felt the tears slip out of her eyes.   
  
Sark watched this whole scene well out of her line of view. He couldn't make out what she was talking to the young boy about, but it seemed to be upsetting her. She was biting her lip like she did every time that someone upset it. He didn't find it strange at all that he could still remember all her mannerisms.   
  
"You should really go talk to her," Irina whispered in his ear.   
  
"I can't," Sark said. He knew that this probably made him seem weak to Irina, but at this point he didn't care. "She's happy, even if she's upset right now. She made a life without me. I don't want to take that away from her."   
  
"How do you know her life is what she wants it to be?" Irina asked. "Go talk to her. At the very least, she deserves to know that you're here. And that kid she's babysitting can't be better company than you."   
  
Sark knew that Irina was telling him the truth, but he couldn't make his legs move no matter how hard he tried. He was scared that this was going to be the biggest mistake he ever made. It was so much easier when he thought Kaylee was dead.   
  
Irina sighed. "She's packing up and leaving. I'm not going to help you find a way to contact her again if you blow this opportunity." She moved to walk away from their surveillance spot. "I'm leaving you here to decide. Don't be a stranger." She gave him a light kiss on the cheek and left.   
  
Sark stared at Kaylee as she packed up the blanket she was sitting on while keeping a close eye on the young boy who was with her. He was weighing the pros and cons of talking with her. He knew that it would satisfy the desire he felt inside of himself to talk with her and make sure it was actually her standing there alive and well. On the other hand, he didn't think he could take it if this person turned out to not be Kaylee but just some person who bared a striking resemblance to her.   
  
He turned away from the sight of her knowing that he had to make this decision soon. Knowing this was probably a cowardly way out of the situation, he let himself stare off into the distance for a minute. If he turned around and she was gone, then the situation was solved. If she were still standing there, he would go over and talk to her.   
  
He felt a light tug on the right side of his pant leg. The young boy he had seen Kaylee with had walked over to where he was standing and was now amusing himself with Sark's leg.   
  
"Thanks for making my decision for me, kid," Sark said. He bent down and picked the boy up into his arms. He began to walk to where Kaylee was standing screaming the same word over and over.   
  
"I take it that you're referring to this charming young man and not just a color," Sark said with a smirk.   
  
Kaylee stared at him in shock and rushed over. She tore Grayson from Sark's arms and began to back away. "I don't know who the hell you are, but this is not funny. I won't hesitate to kill you even though my son is present."   
  
"Your son?" Sark cried. It was his turn to be shocked. "You have a son, Kaylee?"   
  
"Listen, you sick bastard. I'm not going to have a discussion with you. I don't know who put you up to cosmetic surgery, but it's not going to work. Andrew Sark is dead." She reached into the bag she had dropped on the ground when Grayson disappeared and pulled out   
  
"That's the handgun I bought you," Sark said as he remembered the day he had given it to her. He was scared that the guards Irina had assigned to her weren't adequate enough protection.   
  
"This is the gun that Sark bought for me. Any fool could find out that information," Kaylee said. She looked around to make sure that no one had noticed her take the gun out of her bag.   
  
"Why do you think I'm dead?" Sark asked. This conversation was definitely not going the way he had planned. Why hadn't Irina mentioned that Kaylee thought he was dead?   
  
"Because you are dead. Andrew Sark died in an explosion in Hong Kong two years ago. Why would he mysteriously show up the day after I come out of Witness Protection?"   
  
"You were in Witness Protection." The last few pieces of the puzzle were clicking together in Sark's head. "That explains why I wasn't able to find proof of you being alive. Kaylee, I thought you were killed by the Covenant. I searched for you, but all traces of you had disappeared. You went into Witness Protection, and the CIA did a great job of covering your tracks. I thought you were dead," Sark repeated.   
  
"That's great and all. But there's one little problem. You're not Sark," Kaylee clicked to safety off of her gun.   
  
"Don't shoot. I can prove to you that I'm Sark. Ask me anything you want. Anything at all."   
  
"I don't have time for these games. You're not him. He's not alive."   
  
"Why don't you believe me? I'm standing right here in front of your eyes. I had your son in my arms minutes ago. I could have taken him and run if I wanted to hurt you. I don't. I'm not a danger to you. I never was. Didn't I keep you safe all those months in Newcastle?"   
  
"You know about Newcastle?" Kaylee said. She lowered her gun and shoved it back into the bag. She looked over to where Grayson was playing in the grass. "You stay right there, honey," she instructed. Turning her attention back to Sark, she walked up to his face and stared intently at him for a few minutes.   
  
"Like what you see?" Sark asked.   
  
"You certainly look like him. How did you know about Newcastle?" she asked.   
  
"Because I spent the best moments of my life in Australia with you. That's how I know about Newcastle."   
  
"Is it really you?" Kaylee asked. Her eyes were staring to fill up with tears in hopes that this was really Sark.   
  
"That's what I've been trying to tell you for the past ten minutes."   
  
"I thought you were dead," she repeated.   
  
"I know. You made that very clear in the first part of our conversation." Sark laughed lightly thinking about the situation he was in. "So how have you been?"   
  
Kaylee stared at him in disbelief.   



	44. Confusion

Kaylee unlocked the apartment that Sydney had set her up in. She knew that Will had gone to visit his family in New York so she wouldn't have to explain that whole situation to her newly resurrected ex-boyfriend. She threw her keys on the counter and went to start making Grayson lunch.   
  
"So this is your son?" Sark already knew the answer to the question. But he really wanted to hear more information from her.   
  
"Yes, this is my son," Kaylee said, unwilling to volunteer any more information than that. She still wasn't completely sure of what had just happened, and she didn't want to turn her life into a mess without putting lots of thought into it.   
  
Grayson looked up at his mother and Sark and poked his thumb into his chest. "Grayson Tippin," he said. Then he pointed at Sark as if to ask his name.   
  
"Andrew," Sark said smiling at the child. He turned to Kaylee. "His last name's Tippin?"   
  
"That's the name he knows," Kaylee said.   
  
"He's Will Tippin's son?" Sark could feel all hope he had swiftly drain out of his body.   
  
Kaylee didn't answer. She chose instead to search for the peanut butter in the cupboard. "Why did you choose now to come back? What changed?" she asked.   
  
"Your mother tracked me down. She told me that you were alive. That's why I came back. I didn't know before then."   
  
"She knew that you weren't dead," Kaylee said confused. She wouldn't have guessed her mother would have withheld such important information from her.   
  
"Don't get angry with your mother." Sark had no idea why he was still trying to protect Irina. She probably deserved to be alienated from her daughter. "She was trying to figure out what was best for you."   
  
"That should have been my decision," Kaylee hissed as she slammed the cupboard door.

"Bang!" Grayson screamed.   
  
Kaylee laughed. She turned back to look at Sark and her expression sobered. 

"Your mother mentioned to me that you had forgiven her," Sark said. "Why does it seem like you really hate her with all your body and soul?"

"I was taught to be a good liar since I was born. I've gotten so good that I can fool my own mother."

"You never could fool me," he pointed out.  
  
Sighing, she cocked her head slightly to the side and looked at him. "I had a right to know that you were alive."   
  
"I'm sorry," Sark whispered.   
  
She smiled at him. "It's not your fault." She placed the peanut butter sandwich she had made in front of Grayson. She motioned for Sark to follow her as she walked into the other room.   
  
"What do you want from me?" she blatantly asked.   
  
"I don't know. Nothing, I suppose." Sark shrugged his shoulders. "I just wanted to make sure that you were really alive. And I wanted to let you know that..." His voice trailed off.   
  
"You were never good with this emotional stuff," Kaylee said remembering their past.   
  
"I can recall one day in Australia that I was damn good at it," Sark said motioning to her left hand. He had noticed that the ring wasn't there, but he hadn't expected to find it still on her hand.   
  
"Yeah, you were pretty good at the emotional stuff that day," she admitted. Returning to the present day, she added, "Just try to say what you're feeling. I'll be patient."   
  
"I wanted to let you know that I'm here. And I've missed you." Sark turned away from Kaylee's glaze. He didn't want to see the disgusted look he could guess would be on her face.   
  
"I missed you, too," Kaylee said as she walked over to where Sark was standing and put her hand lightly on his arm. "But I can't just jump back into this."   
  
"I don't expect you, too. I just wanted to tell you to keep me in mind. That I'm still here if you want me."   
  
Kaylee slid into Sark's arms. "This does feel right. But I have a new life now."   
  
"And I don't fit into it that easily, right?" Sark said. He sighed and tightened his arms a little.   
  
"You never really fit into my life that easily," she said with a laugh.   
  
"But you wanted me there once."   
  
She shrugged out of his arms. "You hurt me that day in the hotel room. I needed you and you just left as soon as my mother beckoned you."   
  
"What happened that day? I still don't understand." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall that was behind him.   
  
"My father came to convince me to leave you and my mother and come with him. He told me that my mother was just using me as a way of saving Sydney and herself from the Rambaldi prophecy and its consequences. I was upset. It made sense, what he said. I always knew that there was something off in my relationship with my mother. All I needed was someone to talk the whole thing out with. That was supposed to be you." She paused for a moment to calm her anger. "You were supposed to be there for me to confide in. But you had to go leave to help my mother."   
  
Sark thought back to the last day he saw Kaylee alive excluding the present day. "I knew you were upset. I should have gone with my instincts and told Irina that I didn't have time to meet her."   
  
"Why did you have to leave in such a hurry? We were supposed to be leaving that day anyway to go home to tell my mother about our engagement."   
  
"She said that there had been a development in the Rambaldi prophecy. She said that you were in danger and that the only way to keep you safe was to leave you behind in Newcastle. She said the CIA had no idea that we were living there." Sark thought about that day. "Why would she lie to me?"   
  
"My mother has her reasons," Kaylee said. She peeked into the kitchen to make sure that Grayson hadn't gotten into any trouble. Seeing that he was behaving, she turned her attention back to Sark. "She must have known that the CIA knew where I was. But why would she want to get you out of the way like that?"   
  
"Maybe it had something to do with the Rambaldi prophecy," Sark suggested.   
  
"The prophecy wasn't even really about me," Kaylee said absentmindedly.   
  
Sark raised his eyebrows. "When did you find that out?"   
  
"That was something my father hinted at the day that I left Newcastle. He was trying to tell me that the woman in the prophecy was a key figure in the events to come but she wasn't the focus."   
  
"So where does that leave you in this whole mess?"   
  
"Right smack in the middle. I may not be the focus, but I'm all they have right now." Kaylee knew that she was lying to Sark and hoped that he wouldn't pick up on it. She had promised the CIA that she wouldn't tell anyone the potential role Grayson played in this whole thing.   
  
Sark nodded and the couple stood in silence until Grayson's yells interrupted them.   
  
"He's cranky," Kaylee explained. "It's time for his nap."   
  
Sark could feel his heart ache a little at the mention of Grayson. He really couldn't believe that Kaylee had moved on and had a child with Will Tippin. It hurt him to know that she was available but pretty much unattainable. And there was the whole fact that she seemed to have developed a whole other life that he didn't know one thing about. He stood up from where he was leaning. "Maybe it's time for me to leave."   
  
Kaylee nodded. "If that's what you think is best."   
  
"Where does this leave us?" he asked innocently.   
  
"I still don't know. My life's too complicated now for me to welcome you back into it with open arms."   
  
Sark nodded again. He thought he understood completely what she was trying to say. "I know I have a lot of mistakes to make up for. I screwed up pretty bad, which is really nothing new for me. I always screw up the things that are most important in my life. I'm going to try to make up for it, though. Starting now."   
  
"That's all I can ask of you." Kaylee tried to hide the fact that she had started crying.   
  
"You know that seeing you cry always broke my heart," Sark said softly as he opened the front door to leave. "It hurts twice as bad when I know I'm the cause of it."   
  
The door clicked shut. Kaylee just stared at it. "Maybe I'm crying because I'm happy to have you back in my life," she whispered to the shut door.   



	45. An Unlikely Rescue

Sydney walked over to Vaughn's desk and threw the folder she was carrying forcefully down in front of his face. "I need to go after Simon Walker, Vaughn. It's a matter of maintaining my sanity."   
  
"Syd, you know I don't have the power to send you on missions." Vaughn leaned back in his chair. He wanted to prepare himself for another screaming fight. That seemed to be the only way he and Sydney communicated these days.   
  
"I know that. But you were always willing to help." Sydney sat down on the edge of his desk. "Look over the file. I think I've gathered enough information to warrant a mission."   
  
Vaughn flipped through the file. "A raid, Sydney? You want to go busting into where Walker is currently staying guns ablazing?"   
  
"I was never one for subtle."   
  
"And I was never one to refuse one of your wacky schemes." He knew that he should be avoiding the topic of their past together, but he just couldn't resist.   
  
"It feels like yesterday to me, you know. I know I've been gone two years, but I just can't get the rest of me to adjust." Sydney sighed and moved to get up off the desk. She was trying to concentrate on being graceful so hard that she practically guaranteed a nose first head dive into the floor.   
  
Vaughn caught her as she was about to hit the cement. "Are you okay?" he whispered as he stood her up.   
  
"If I had known that this was all it took to get me back in your arms, I would have called on my klutz skills sooner." She had meant it as a joke, but it came out more on the seductive side.   
  
Vaughn stared at her lips which were inches from his. "God, I wish I could tell you what you want to know, Syd."   
  
Here eyes widened at his comment and she shrugged out of the grip he had on her. "You know something about the two years I've been gone." It came out more as a statement than a question.   
  
"That's not what I meant." Vaughn was quick to correct.   
  
"Then what the hell did you mean by that comment?"   
  
"I can't say."   
  
"I'm so sick and tired of this government, classified crap," she screamed calling most of the office's attention to her. "It keeps interfering with my life. I can't stand it."   
  
He stared at her in silence knowing there was nothing he could say to make her feel better. It was the first time for that since the first day she walked into the CIA headquarters and into his life. He had always prided himself on being her guardian angel, but now he felt more like a demon for withholding information that could help iron out the wrinkles in her life.   
  
"I could tell you were keeping something from me," Sydney informed him. "I just had no idea why. It probably has something to do with the past two years. Everything seems to have something to do with that." Sighing she picked up the folder she had slammed on his desk. "So, do you think Dixon will buy my pitch for a mission?"   
  
"I think you can guilt trip him into letting you try," Vaughn agreed.   
  
"I know it's completely inappropriate and Lauren will be furious when she finds out I asked you this. Do you think that you can come along with me if Dixon agrees to this? I'm not used to going on missions without you by my side. It would make the transition a little easier."   
  
"I haven't gone on a mission since you disappeared that day." He smiled to himself. "That could be partially because I went insane for a while there. But I like to think that it was also because I knew it wouldn't be the same."   
  
"Is that a yes?" She smiled at him.   
  
"Yes. Lauren shouldn't be upset by it, anyway. I think I've earned her trust."   
  
"Thank you. I'm glad our conversation didn't end with yelling this time." She turned and walked out of his cubicle.   
  
"I'm glad you made it out of that conversation without putting the moves on her," Weiss said from the other side of the cubicle. Knowing that Vaughn was about to curse him for eavesdropping, he added, "If the CIA didn't want me to hear your conversations, they would have given you a real office and not a cubicle without a proper ceiling."   
  
Vaughn laid his head into his hands. "It's getting harder not to tell her, Eric."   
  
"You're doing well, buddy. Just hang in there."   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
"Back your bags, gentlemen," Sydney called as she passed Weiss and Vaughn's area a few hours later. "We're going to funny, sunny Cairo."   
  
"What's so funny and happy about Cairo? I thought there was a massive heat wave spreading through the city currently," Vaughn asked Weiss as he watched Sydney walk past on her way to run the op by Marshall.   
  
"I think she's just excited at the prospect of kicking the asses of grown men again," Weiss joked.   
  
"As long as it isn't mine," Vaughn said. "We should probably go get our bags packed. Knowing Syd, she wants to leave immediately."   
  
"You need to say goodbye to Lauren, Vaughn," Weiss reminded. "You have to keep up appearances."   
  
He was answered by a massive wad of paper dropping from the sky onto his head.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
"Can you hear me now?" Sydney asked as she walked into one of Cairo's finest hotels.   
  
"Loud and clear." Vaughn's voice resonated in her ear. "Too bad we can't see you," he commented. "I heard that you got a beauty of costume for this one."   
  
"Who knew that two-bit hookers stayed at such nice hotels?" Sydney glanced at her reflection as she passed one of the lobby mirrors. She was wearing a cheetah print mini skirt and white halter top. Her hair was piled recklessly on top of her head, and her makeup was straight out of the 80's. She didn't feel comfortable at all, but that was just standard for her missions. She found a quiet corner of the lobby and prepared for Simon Walker to appear.   
  
She didn't have to wait long for he walked out of the elevator two minutes after she showed up. "I'm following Walker out of the hotel, guys," Sydney informed Vaughn and Weiss. They were both listening in just to be on the safe side. The CIA couldn't afford for something to go wrong in this mission. Sydney wouldn't survive another two years missing.   
  
Sydney hefted the massive bag she was carrying onto her right shoulder and slowly made her way out to the front of the building. She was happy to see that Walker wasn't in a hurry and was taking his time entering his BMW. "Time for me to make a quick change," she whispered. She wasn't planning on capturing Simon in her prostitute getup. It would be too humiliating.   
  
She watched him chat with a few women who had flocked to his car when they saw him exit the hotel. Outside the hotel was the perfect place for changing one's appearance because of the wonderfully large bushes. Sydney jumped right in all the while watching Walker to make sure he didn't start his car and leave.   
  
"Thank god you can always count on a man to flirt," she whispered. She took off her mini-skirt rapidly and threw on a pair of blue corduroy capris. The halter top stayed on.   
  
"What do you mean by that?" Vaughn asked her.   
  
"Nothing. You wouldn't understand, what with you being a man." She wiped off her over-the-top makeup real quick and splashed a bottle of drinking water she had on her hair. She threw it back into a ponytail and prepared to make her way over to Walker's car.   
  
"What are you doing, Sydney?" Vaughn hissed in her ear. "Walker just passed us and you're nowhere in sight."   
  
She realized that Walker had indeed pulled out of his parking space and wasn't within her line of vision. "Damnit." She rushed over to where the CIA had parked a fairly nice SUV for her to follow Simon in. She turned the keys that were waiting in the ignition and gunned the accelerator.   
  
Within ten seconds, she had him back in her sights. "I've got him, boys. Don't worry. I may be a little rusty, but I can still spy with the best of them."   
  
"Just don't lose him," Vaughn instructed.   
  
"Because that was what I was trying to do," she mumbled.   
  
"We heard that," Weiss informed her.   
  
"Sorry. I'm a little testy. Wait. He's pulling into a parking garage. Damn!" she yelled.   
  
"What's the matter?" Vaughn asked.   
  
"It seems like I always get my ass handed to me on a plate whenever I'm forced to fight in a parking garage. I guess I'll just have to chance it." Sydney barely got her last sentence out before her earpiece went dead. "Vaughn? Weiss? Are you there? I can't here you."   
  
Vaughn cursed as he realized that her earpiece must have malfunctioned slightly. He and Weiss could still hear her loud and clear, but it appeared like she couldn't hear them. As long as she kept the earpiece in, at the very least they could tell if something was going wrong.   
  
Sydney sighed and ripped the earpiece out of her ear. If she couldn't hear Vaughn or Weiss what good was it? She parked her SUV next to Simon's BMW. He must have been in a hurry to get somewhere because he had exited his car within seconds of parking. She pushed the door open and slid out of the car crouching on the cement. She really didn't think she had done the best job of tailing him. The sudden disappearance from view could only mean that he had seen her.   
  
The sound of a gun's safety being clicked off next to her head backed up that theory.   
  
"Ms. Bristow. I'd like to say that it's been a long time since we've last seen each other. But I do believe we had a couple great nights in Vienna a few weeks ago. And by great nights, I mean really really great nights. We knew you had all that pent-up energy just bursting to get out."   
  
"I don't want to know if you're telling me the truth, Walker." She stood up from her previous crouched position. "I just want to warn you that I'm about to knock you unconscious and take you into CIA custody."   
  
"You and what army?" he said.   
  
"I don't need an army," Sydney said with a laugh. "Just call me an army of one."   
  
Simon laughed as he shoved her roughly into the side of her SUV. "Get up off the floor Sydney." He kicked her hard in the ribs. "Oh wait. You can't." He stomped on her arm hard with his left boot. There was a satisfying crack. "I do believe I broke your wrist. Brings back memories of our last fight. I beat you all by my lonesome self then. Only took me about five seconds. Let's see if I can break my record."   
  
He was about to deliver a heavy blow to her head with the butt of his gun when he heard squealing tires. "Damnit. I thought I told my men not to let anyone in this parking garage."   
  
"That will probably is my backup," Sydney informed him. She would have liked to pretend that she didn't need it, but her position on the garage floor with Simon's boot resting pinning her head would really kill that lie.   
  
Simon ducked as the person in the car screeched to a halt right behind Syd's SUV and began to fire bullets straight at his head. Sydney dragged herself up since she had the chance. She was surprised that the car in front of her wasn't the one she had left Weiss and Vaughn in. She began to hobble over to the car.   
  
"Hello, Sydney," Sark called as soon as she got within hearing distance. "Get in the car."   
  
She stared in shock at the man she had thought was dead. It wasn't possible that he was alive. But then again everyone said it wasn't possible for her to be alive, too. "What the hell are you doing?" she screamed.   
  
"We don't have time. Get in the car. I'll explain later."   
  
Sydney was about to scream no at him, but Simon chose that moment to start shooting at her. She raced around to the other side of the car and jumped in. Sark immediately sped off.   
  
"We're being followed," Sydney informed him as they left the parking garage.   
  
"I can lose them," Sark said. He turned in direction that led away from the city.   
  
"So, explain to me what the hell you are doing here in Cairo... alive... helping me..." Sydney waited for Sark's answer. She heard him take a deep breath. Realizing that she was probably being more civil to him then he deserved, she held up her hand. "You have time to say five words before I come to my senses and order you to pull this car over and let me out to fend for myself."   
  
"Someone had to help." Realizing he had an extra word, he added, "Bitch."   
  
"Very funny. I guess I'll give you the chance to explain in a little more detail."   
  
"You were the one that wanted me to be brief," Sark said as he swerved the car to the right and down an alley. "I'll try again. I'm not dead."   
  
"Obviously," Syd sneered as she locked her seat belt into place. She had been a witness to Sark's driving in all those times he had been in the car chasing her. She knew that a seat belt was a must.   
  
"It has to do with your sister."   
  
"Don't tell me that she agreed to give you a second chance," Sydney said as she braced herself for another sharp turn.   
  
"I didn't ask for one," Sark replied. "What it boils down to is that I knew those incompetent CIA fools would let Simon Walker kidnap you again." Noticing Sydney's pissed off look, he quickly added, "Which I had nothing to do with the first time. I was being blown up in Hong Kong at the time."   
  
"Good point," Sydney said. She relaxed back into her seat slightly as Sark guided the car off of the road and into the sand that was bordering the road. "Quick side note. Where the hell are you driving to?"   
  
"Simon Walker wouldn't personally follow us into the desert. He'll stay in the city. Of course he'll send some of his employees after them. But I know for a fact that we can outsmart them."   
  
"Accepted. Continue with the explanation of why you are helping me."   
  
"As much as I know you won't believe me, I like you, Sydney. Enemies as good as you are few and far between. You were always the one to keep me on my toes in this game. I respect you enough to keep you from spending another two years in hell."   
  
"You know where I've been the past two years?"   
  
"I have my theories." Sark nodded towards the rearview mirror. "Look. Only two cars kept up with us."   
  
"Nice. How about you try to decrease that number by two?"   
  
"Working on it," Sark said. He flung the car into a 180-degree turn and began to race back towards the two cars. At the last possible moment, he veered to the right and watched as one of the cars went sailing into the sand and got stuck there. Its wheels spun out helplessly.   
  
"What kind of car is this?" Sydney asked. She couldn't believe that they hadn't gotten stuck in the sand yet with the way Sark was driving.   
  
"Let's just say I requested some modifications. Figured that with you around I'd end up in a car chase at some point."   
  
"Watch out," Sydney screamed as she saw the one car still following them try to ram them from behind. There was a loud crunch. Sark was forced to turn left to correct the spin that the impact had sent them in. "It was nice and all, you trying to help me. But it isn't really going to be much of a help if you get us killed," she screamed.   
  
"Relax. I know what I'm doing, Sydney."   
  
She tried to calm her breathing as Sark darted the car back and forth across the desert sands.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Sydney was surprised that, upon looking in the side mirror, she saw the one car was still keeping up with Sark's frantic driving movements and trailing them. She could have sworn that Sark had been driving in this way for at least half of an hour. "This strategy isn't really working," she observed.   
  
"You don't know my strategy. Look." Sark pointed to the rearview mirror again. Sydney noticed for the first time that the engine of the car behind them was steaming. "I wasn't trying to lose them. I was only trying to get them to stay with us long enough for their engine to overheat. Another modification to this car."   
  
Sydney allowed herself a small smile. But it quickly left her face when she noticed something strange in the path they were traveling. "What is that, Sark?" she asked.   
  
"Shit!" he screamed as the car suddenly left the ground. He had been so preoccupied with the car behind them he had missed the fact that there was a railroad track cutting through the desert. The car couldn't take such a jolt at the high speed he was going. He prayed that they landed as softly as possible as he felt the car begin to tip to its side.   
  
Sydney realized his mistake as she felt the car reconnect with the ground. That would have been fine if the car wasn't on its side. She was surprised to realize that the only thought in her head was a memory that she recalled from her time missing. This was not the first time she had been in a flipping car. As she lost consciousness, she hoped this wouldn't be the last time. 


	46. Out of Character

Sydney woke up feeling like she had been blind sided by an eighteen wheeler. As the events of that day flashed through her mind, she realized that it was almost the truth. She tried to work up the courage to open her eyes. Succeeding at getting them to open a millimeter, she swiftly realized that she was definitely upside down in the car Sark had been driving. She felt a faint drumming near her head but couldn't sum up the energy to turn to see what it was. It stopped quickly when she worked herself up to opening her eyes the rest of the way.   
  
"Don't move, Sydney," she heard Sark's voice say from somewhere to her right. "I'm trying to get you out of the car, but the car isn't really cooperating." She heard him sigh.   
  
"What's the problem?"   
  
"The problem is this is going to hurt you a lot more than it's going to hurt me." She felt his arm reach across her stomach and lightly touch something. She realized that something was her seat buckle as the weight of her body sent her crashing into the roof of the car.   
  
"Can you move at all?" Sark asked her.   
  
"Yeah. Just give me a minute." Sydney slowly rolled herself until she was lying flat on the car's roof. She located the window that was the least crushed in and wiggled her way out through it. Feeling something trickle down her head, she lifted her hand to feel her right temple. "Yeah, that's definitely blood," she said staring at her hand. She felt her eyes begin to roll into the back of head before she lost consciousness again.   
  
"Damnit," Sark said as he saw her crumple to the ground. He rushed over to her side and was pleased to find a steady pulse in under her neck. He looked her over real quick to sum up the damage done. "Well, Sydney," he said to her unconscious body. "I think that you're going to pull through this. You obviously have a concussion what with that gaping wound on your head, and that wrist is definitely broken."   
  
"Why are you playing doctor?" Sydney asked as she gained her wits again and heard Sark speaking to himself.   
  
"Because someone has to."   
  
She heard him sigh again. "That's not good," she said as she tried to sit up. "Last time you sighed at me my body went crashing to the ground."   
  
"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to apologize to you again, Sydney." Sark grabbed her broken wrist harshly causing her to scream out in pain. After a few seconds of screaming, the pain caused her to pass out for a third time.   
  
Sark had to admit he did still feel a little joy in the back of his head at causing her pain. Unfortunately, he was doing it for her well being only this time. He had decided almost instantly after seeing her broken wrist that it needed to be set before they could start to make their way to civilization. "And having you unconscious will really help kill the pain that setting your wrist will bring," Sark said to her comatose body.   
  
He quickly went to work realigning the bones in her wrist. She was lucky that it was such a clean break and that Irina had spent the time training him in basic field medicine. He scavenged the area and found a few solid metal pipes that had broken off from his car or fallen out of his truck or something at some point during the crash. He didn't know where they had come from, he was just glad to discover them. With some string he found in the glove compartment of his totaled car, he fashioned together a makeshift brace to keep her fixed wrist from shifting back to being broke.   
  
"Now I just have to wait for you to wake up," Sark told himself. "Something tells me that this one might take a while." Sighing he slung Sydney as gently as possible over his shoulder, taking care not to jar her wrist or head too much. Together, he began to make his way for a few palm tress he could see in the distance.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Sydney allowed herself a satisfying groan as she felt herself begin to wake up. She really wished that she wasn't so out of it. It would have make killing Sark a lot easier if she was at one hundred percent capacity.   
  
"Where are you, you stupid British bastard?" she yelled as she tried to sit up. Immediately she knew shouting was a mistake as her head stared throbbing. She felt Sark's hands go around her, and he helped her up to lean against a tree. Realizing that she couldn't kill him quite yet, she tried to take in their surroundings. "How far are we from Cairo?"   
  
"About one hundred twenty kilometers," Sark said staring in the same general direction as her. "The good news is we are not going back to Cairo. Simon Walker will be ready and willing to kill us the second we set foot back in the city." He turned in the opposite direction of where they had been staring which was the direction he had been driving them in. "We need to go that way. And we only have to walk eighty kilometers."   
  
"I don't know if I'll make it," Sydney admitted. She hated to tell Sark that she was feeling weak, but she didn't fancy making it halfway to wherever they were headed and then dying from exhaustion.   
  
"We'll make it even if I have to carry you most of the way," Sark said. He didn't take his eyes off the horizon.   
  
"Who are you and what have you done with Sark?" Sydney said. She took notice of her repaired wrist for the first time. She looked up at Sark in shock. "Am I in an alternate dimension?"   
  
Sark laughed and walked over to Sydney. "No, you're not. I may be heartless most of the time, but I still have my moments. I'm sorry about having to cause you all the pain."   
  
"I'm sure you are," Sydney said squinting her eyes.   
  
"Let's go," Sark said. He began to walk away from the site of the crash.   
  
Sydney sighed and pushed off the tree. She had nowhere else to go, and it seemed that Sark at least knew the general direction they should be heading in. "I refuse to trust him," she vowed in the back of her mind. "He never hesitated to try to kill me before. I don't see why that would have changed."   
  
They managed to walk for at least two hours without saying a word to one another. Sark was surprised that Sydney hadn't complained about the fact that he was leading. "Then again, she always seems to surprise me," he thought to himself.   
  
"How much farther do we have to walk?" Sydney said. She stopped and hunched down a little, bracing herself by putting her hands on her knees.   
  
"We have at least eleven more hours of walking." Sark sat down on the sand beside her. "But it'll probably take longer since we're going to need regular breaks, what with the lack of water and your not so perfect state.."   
  
"Agreed," Sydney said as she collapsed to the ground next to Sark. "Can I ask you a question?"   
  
"Ask whatever you want, Sydney."   
  
"Why are you helping me? You could have left me to die back in that garage with Walker. Again, you could have left me to die in that car wreck back there. Third, you have chosen to walk at the slow pace that I've set. That means you don't intend to leave me behind to die by myself in this desert. Why?"   
  
"I know you think that I'm a cold-hearted bastard, Sydney." Sark lay back on the sand putting himself in a similar position to the way Sydney was lying. "I'm not going to deny that that's probably a good assumption. I know that I'm not as pure and gallant as your dear Agent Vaughn."   
  
"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave him out of this conversation," Sydney hissed.   
  
"Point taken. I'm sure you've met a hundred men like me throughout your years with SD-6 and the CIA. Did you ever ask yourself why I got under your skin so much? I mean, why do I bother you but none of the other people you've come across warrant an extra second of your time?"   
  
"I have no idea, Sark. But I'm sure you're about to enlighten me." Sydney closed her eyes.   
  
"Nope," Sark said leaning over and shaking her. "We can rest as long as you keep your eyes open. I can't have you lapsing into a coma this early in our trek back to civilization."   
  
"All right. I won't shut my eyes."   
  
Sark nodded and returned to his previous position. "I think the reason that I intrigue you so much is because you see a little of yourself in me." He ignored the way Sydney's mouth had begun to open and shut in shock at his audacity and kept on talking. "I represent exactly what you think you could have become if your mother hadn't left you and your father. You could have easily become one of her employees just as I did. That nagging feeling you get sometime in the back of your head? You know, the one that pops up when you get satisfaction out of causing someone pain. That's what I feel all the time. Like me, you enjoy it. Only you're too afraid of it to admit that you like the thrill."   
  
"I'd like to say you're right, Sark. But that would mean I would have to admit you intrigued me." She paused and then added, "Which you don't at all."   
  
"Liar." He leaned over so she could see the smirk on his face. "I'm everything you wish you could be sometimes. I don't really answer to anyone but myself. I'm free. I can do whatever the hell I want. You crave that freedom at the times when your life is a huge mess. I know that because you intrigue me too, Sydney."   
  
"I couldn't have guessed that," she said sarcastically.   
  
"You intrigue me, Sydney, for the opposite reasons that I intrigue you. You are everything I should have become. You're good and respectable. If my life had gone differently, I could be working right by your side."   
  
"At least one of my prayers was answered," she said with a grin.   
  
"You must be feeling better," Sark said sitting up. "We need to keep moving. I'm willing to bet that Walker will be sending some men out soon to make sure that we were killed in that crash. We don't want to be around when he hears the news that there were no bodies in the car."   
  
Sydney sighed and stood herself up. She wavered slightly and felt Sark's arms wrap around her. "If I weren't so dizzy, I'd come up with some witty comment to warn you not to put your hands on me again."   
  
"Don't try to be strong when you're so obviously not," Sark scolded her. He let go of her waist as soon as he felt her gain her balance. "You're going to have to trust me a little if we're going to make it through this alive."   
  
"Maybe I don't want you to make it through this alive," Sydney called over her shoulder as she began walking.   
  
Sark just laughed.   



	47. Yin and Yang

Sydney was still trying to process why Sark was behaving so out of character. It was almost as if he thought himself her friend. "Which is ridiculous," she muttered to herself. Noticing something in the distance, she paused. "Aren't those the railroad tracks that you so cleverly utilized to flip the car?" Sydney said pointing a few yards in front of where they were standing.   
  
"Nothing escapes you, Agent Bristow."   
  
"So now we're back to Agent Bristow? No more Sydney?" she inquired. She started walking towards the railroad tracks again.   
  
Sark smirked. "These are the same railroad tracks that neither one of us saw coming before. I saved us about thirty miles of walking by cutting through the desert instead of following those tracks."   
  
"But we're following them now?" She couldn't help but be confused by his logic.   
  
"Now they're going to lead us straight into Al Fayyum. From there you can call the CIA to pick you up."   
  
"You probably aren't going to want to stick around for the CIA to capture, huh?" Sydney said.   
  
"Not today. I have more important things on my agenda." Sark noticed out of the corner of his eye Sydney was starting to stumble slightly. "If I come closer to you, do you promise not to bite me?"   
  
"My father taught me to never make promises I know I couldn't keep."   
  
Sark ignored her comment and jogged slightly to catch up to her position. He slid his arm underneath hers and placed his hand on her back. "I want you to lean on me for a little while. Consider this another rest stop."   
  
"A convenient rest stop which lets us keep moving," she commented. "I may hate you with all my heart, but I'm grateful to have you here at the moment."   
  
"Why, Sydney! I do believe you're starting to warm up to me."   
  
"I take it back. I wish that you were a thousand miles away."   
  
"Good," Sark said smiling down at her. "For a second there you had me worried."   
  
Sydney let Sark carry her weight in silence for a few minutes before her mind went back to something he had casually said. "What did you mean by having more important things on your agenda?" she asked.   
  
"You don't want to know. It will only make you mad."   
  
"I want to know, Sark. I didn't believe any of the bullshit you fed me before about me being such a good adversary that you couldn't just sit back and let Simon Walker kill me."   
  
"That was the truth, Sydney. But I will admit that it wasn't all of the truth." Sark bent down, grabbed Sydney's knees, and swooped her completely into his arms. "You were stumbling again. I'll just carry you for a few miles, then you can try to walk on your own."   
  
"Nice distraction tactic, but I'm still waiting for an answer from you."   
  
"Honestly this whole thing is mostly about your sister, Sydney. I've never cared for someone as much as I care for her. I mean, I'm the guy that doesn't have emotions. I know that's how everyone sees me. I was starting to believe it myself. But then I met Kaylee, and now she is my whole world."   
  
"You mean, she was your world. You've been out of her life for two years, Sark."   
  
"That's painfully obvious by the new presence in her life."   
  
Sydney was slightly put off by his off-hand comment on Kaylee's son and had to take a second to remember what she was trying to get Sark to tell her in the first place. After a few moments, she remembered. "What does saving me have to do with my sister?"   
  
"The easy answer would be that I know she wouldn't want you dead. But nothing in our lives is ever the easy answer."   
  
"If you insist." The duo walked in silence a few yards before Sark felt a small trembling come from Sydney's body. He looked concern for a moment until he realized she had started laughing hysterically for no apparent reason.   
  
"Please don't tell me that the blow to your head hurt something inside your skull," he sighed. "What's so funny, Sydney?"   
  
"I was just thinking. You're the yin to my yang." She started laughing again.   
  
"We really need to hurry. You're starting to treat me almost like a human being. And that can only mean that you're slipping."   
  
Sydney stopped laughing at that comment. "I don't treat you that horribly. I mean you are one of my enemies so it wouldn't exactly be right for me to express my eternal love for you every time you punch me."   
  
"Actually, you're usually the one doing the punching. I just meant that you let yourself put me into the easy stereotype of an unfeeling killer. You never really seemed to want to give me a chance to prove that I was otherwise."   
  
"And you want to prove that you're different than the stereotype? I would think that you liked to be portrayed as a killer. It certainly helps to intimidate people." Sydney felt her eyes begin to droop shut.   
  
"Eyes open if you know what's good for you," Sark commanded as he shifted her slightly in his arms. "Maybe to other people I want to be intimidating. But what I really want from you, probably all I've ever really wanted from you even before your sister got involved in the mess that is our lives, is a little respect and maybe a chance at being accepted for who I am."   
  
"You're talking strangely, Sark. Maybe you're the one who ruptured something in the brain."   
  
"Sydney, I love your sister. I'm trying my best to change myself into someone she feels comfortable raising her son with."   
  
"I don't think that Will would be very happy hearing you're plotting to steal his life."   
  
"I'm not focusing on that problem right now. So could we please try to avoid taking about it? I just trying to get Kaylee to the point that she isn't scared that I'm going to get her child killed just by being around him."   
  
"You know the way she talks about Grayson reminds me of the way she used to talk about you those few days before I was kidnapped." Sydney's face took on a horrified look. "I can't believe I just confided in you. We must be in an alternate dimension."   
  
"She talked about me with you? And you didn't kill her for saying nice things?" Sark asked feigning shock.   
  
"Will gave me excellent advice. He said that you probably weren't going to be leaving my sister's life anytime soon. She seemed kind of attached to you. He said that means I better start trying to adjust to it."   
  
"That's good advice, but I thought we had agreed not to talk about Tippin."   
  
"You asked me not to talk about him, but I never agreed," Sydney said triumphantly.   
  
"Do you want me to bring up the subject of Michael Vaughn again?" Sark stopped to set Sydney down on the ground. After making sure she could support her own weight, the pair began walking side by side. He let his mention of Vaughn hang in the air between them for a few silent minutes before he commented again. "What went so wrong with that whole thing to force you to the point where you don't want to even hear his name? I thought you two had the perfect relationship, forgetting the whole forbidden love affair you two started out with."   
  
Sydney mumbled something unintelligible. "What was that?" Sark asked.   
  
"I said he got married. Which kind of put a damper on our relationship."   
  
"The Boy Scout got married? To another woman? I don't believe it."   
  
"I wish I were lying to you, Sark. I really do."   
  
"So you just came back and he was married to another woman? That had to have hurt a lot."   
  
"He felt guilty as he well should have about the whole thing, but I could tell that he wanted to be married to her. It's like I'm almost nothing to him anymore."   
  
"I doubt that's completely true."   
  
Sydney looked over at him in disgust. "Why the hell am I telling you any of this?"   
  
"My theory? You don't have anyone else you can turn to. Your sister and Will Tippin are too wrapped up in their messy lives to help you figure out yours. Your father is dealing with the issue of your mother. Your mother has her own agenda, and anyways she never really had a relationship with you. And everyone else in your life is treating you like you're made of porcelain. Your subconscious is seizing the moment and trying to relieve the pressure you've put on yourself."   
  
"Thanks, Freud. But I think my subconscious wouldn't willing chose you to confide in."   
  
After a few moments of silent walking, Sark asked innocently, "What's her name? The new Mrs. Vaughn, that is."   
  
Sydney narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you want to know?"   
  
"I'm curious," he said through clenched teeth. She was starting to get on his nerves with her inability to trust.   
  
Sydney gauged his face trying to see past any facade he was trying to create. "Lauren Reed."   
  
"Senator Reed's daughter?" Sark said with raised eyebrows.   
  
"The very one. She's been nothing but nice to me, which doesn't help at all. It would be so much easier if she was a complete bitch. Then I could make Vaughn realize how horrible she was, and he would get a divorce."   
  
"That's another example of the way easy answers don't fit into our lives," Sark said. "I mean, if I had my way, Kaylee would have just come running back to me with open arms. Life doesn't work that way, though."   
  
"No, it doesn't." Sydney stopped talking to Sark as she watched the sun begin to set. "How far do you think we still have to go?"   
  
"We still have at least five hours of walking."   
  
Sydney nodded and went back to her own thoughts. She was still trying to process the whole situation she had landed herself in. The concept of Sark actually being cordial to her wasn't exactly sitting well with her past impressions of him. After a few minutes of trying to find the logic in these new circumstances, she felt her thoughts drifting away from Sark and on to Vaughn. That whole state of affairs was an even bigger confusion than what she was currently dealing with.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Sark was willing to let Sydney keep her thoughts to herself for the time being. He knew how it important it was to get her to confide in him. It would help convince her that he wasn't all bad, but he couldn't bring himself to keep causing her pain, emotional or physical. He knew that was probably what asking her more questions would do. Which is why he was surprised when she initiated conversation.   
  
"You know what the trouble with love is?" she asked, not waiting for an answer. "It can completely rip you up inside. It blocks your perceptions of what's real. You know that it's foolish to let yourself fall in love, but you can't stop it. It's stronger than any other feeling. And no matter how proud you are, love is stronger than it. It lets you think that you figured it out and are in control, and then BOOM!" Sydney smacked her fisted hands together to emphasize her point. "You find yourself with a heart that's battered, bruised, torn in two."   
  
"Been holding that one in for a while, haven't you? Maybe practicing it a little?" Sark said as soon as he got over the shock of her outburst.   
  
She paid no attention to his comment and just kept ranting. "And the thing that pisses me off is that you can't say no to love. You just can't refuse that little tingling in the back of your head and the butterflies in your stomach."   
  
"When it's good, though, it's really good," Sark corrected her. "You might not have any control over it, but it's nice to not be in control of something for once. Our lives are all about control. Change is good in that department. And love can be the best thing to happen to you. You just have to find the right person to share it with."   
  
"I found the right person," Sydney said throwing her hands up in exasperation. "And he's married!"   
  
Sark laughed. "Hey. I found the right person, too. And she's replaced me in her heart with a bloody two-year-old."   
  
Sydney couldn't help but laugh at loud at his comment. "You know, in another life we might actually have been friends, Sark."   
  
"Progress!" he yelled throwing his arms up in triumph. "If I had known that all it took was almost killing you, I would have done this whole thing a lot sooner."   
  
"It helps that you weren't intentionally trying to kill me this time. Because you've tried that before and it really didn't help me like you."   
  
"I knew I had to change my strategy." Sark turned around as he realized that Sydney had stopped walking. "What's wrong?"   
  
"Do you see that?" She pointed into the distance. "What is that?"   
  
"Headlights!" Sark began to run towards the light, calling over his shoulder, "Stay here, Sydney. You're in no shape to do anything."   
  
Sydney waited for two seconds before running after him. When she caught up, she hissed, "What in our past history together makes you think that I'm going to just wait behind for you to rescue me. Nowadays, I tend to rely on myself to rescue... um... myself."   
  
"I should have known. Don't slow me down," he instructed shooting her a look of frustration as he sped up.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
"I never thought I would enjoy the feeling of cheap leather seats as much as this," Sydney purred from where she lay on the backseat of a rusted out car. "Who would have thought that there would have been a car in the middle of the desert just waiting for us to steal? It was practically begging us to lift it."   
  
"This is probably the first time I've been appreciative of the fact that there are people out there needing to make drug deals at one in the morning in the middle of a desert in Egypt."   
  
"Do you think they'll be okay?" Sydney said. Sark saw her face scrunch up in concern in the rearview mirror.   
  
"Sydney, we left them with one car. I don't think that anyone will be abandoned in the desert tonight. And now we only have twenty minutes before we get to Al Fayyum."   
  
Sydney sat up and leaned forward into the opening between the two front seats. "She's a lot like you, you know."   
  
Sark sent her a confused look. "Did we have a topic change right there? Because I missed it. What are you talking about, Sydney?"   
  
"My sister. She's a lot like you, Sark. I thought at first that she was just like our mother, but I think I was wrong. Our mother likes to keep her true feelings and intentions hidden. She's cold and unfeeling. She'll do anything to get her way including murder. I thought she would raise Kaylee to be exactly like her. Only it didn't turn out that way. Kaylee's not really like that."   
  
"Really? Continue. I'm intrigued at where you're going with this." Sark gently turned to car to the right.   
  
Sydney leaned back away from the front seat and settled in to the backseat again. "Do you remember what you were saying to me about enjoying the kill while I'm on a mission?" Sark nodded. "That person you described, the one you said I could easily have become? That's Kaylee."   
  
"And what does this have to do with me?' Sark asked.   
  
"Well, you both delight in the thrill of the fight. I've fought both of you. I've seen it in your eyes while we were battling. There was a passion in you that I've never really had for this life. You thrive on the fight. It gets your off."   
  
"That's one way of putting it, I guess."   
  
"I know in my heart that you both would kill if it was necessary to get you where you needed to go. That's something that I never could comprehend before."   
  
"Are you calling your sister a cold-blooded murder? Because that's how you've always affectionately referred to me," he pointed out.   
  
"I'm woman enough to admit that I was wrong. You make it seem like you enjoy the killing so much when you're actually doing it, but I bet when you're all alone it gets to you. It keeps you up at night. I noticed that with Kaylee when she was staying at my house. She would stay up to the late hours of the night and when she finally did fall asleep, she had these nightmares about the things she had done for my mother."   
  
"I know she has nightmares, Sydney. Before she came to you in L.A., I was the one comforting her when she woke up screaming. I know all about the sweating and thrashing, the looks of confusion and the staring at nothing. I know about having to pretend to be brave when she's in your arms crying hysterically and all you can think about is how much you want to just whisk her away from this life and the memories. How you would give your life to take away whatever was hurting her. Trying to convince her that the dreams will just fade away in time when you're scared to death that the pressure of them is going to kill her inside. Yeah, I know all about the nightmares."   
  
Sark waited for a comment on his outburst to come at him from the backseat. He thought that at the very least Sydney would have made fun of his moment of emotional honesty. Looking up at the mirror again, he realized she had closed her eyes.   
  
"Agent Bristow, I thought you had promised to keep your eyes open. Sydney? Sydney?" There was no response. He pressed the accelerator to the floor. "You better not die on me! Shit..."   



	48. Hospital Confessions

The beeping was driving her crazy. It was so regular and high-pitched, unlike any noise she had ever had to listen to before. "Make that beeping stop," she groaned, refusing to open her eyes.   
  
"That could be a problem," said a voice from her right. Sydney recognized the familiar pressure of someone holding her right hand. "You see, if that beeping stops, it means that your heart has stopped beating and that means you're probably dead."   
  
Sydney opened her eyes slightly to look at her companion. "Is that you, Vaughn?"   
  
"Yeah, Syd. It's me."   
  
"How are you feeling?"   
  
"Like I was in a car accident and then was force to walk hundreds of miles through an Egyptian desert." She sighed and tried to sit up. Vaughn let go of her hand to help her. "Where am I?"   
  
"You're in a hospital in Al Fayyum."   
  
"How did I get here?" she asked.   
  
"I think you know that answer better than I do. I just got a cryptic message on my voicemail a couple hours ago telling me that you were in the hospital and that I should come pick you up. I don't even know who called me or how they got my cell phone number. You obviously weren't conscious." Vaughn stood up and went over to a table that was against the far wall. "These were the only things left for you."   
  
Sydney stared at the bouquet of wildflowers that Vaughn had put into her hands. "He left me flowers?"   
  
"Who?"   
  
"No one."   
  
"Doesn't sound like no one." Vaughn realized he wasn't going to be able to pry any more information out of her on this topic. "So what exactly happened?"

"It was Simon Walker. I was running away from him."

  
"You were running away from Walker? How did he find out you were trailing him? Start at the beginning of the story."   
  
Sydney couldn't help but notice that Vaughn had grasped her right hand in his again. "Well, Walker figured out I was trailing him somehow. I guess I got a little sloppy. We fought." Sydney paused trying to choose her words wisely. "I managed to get away from Walker and find a car that I could hotwire. Skipping a little, I managed to ditch Walker's men, but I ended up totaling the car."

"That's not like you, Syd. You're the best person I've ever seen driving in high pressure situations."

"I haven't driven like that in the desert in awhile. I'm kind of rusty. When I recovered my senses, I started walking. Then I stole a car that was being used for a drug deal. I'm the seize-the-moment kind of gal, you know? The last thing I remember is pulling over to the side of the road I was on and passing out from pain."   
  
"I swear your adventures would make the best movie, Syd," Vaughn said with a laugh. "I have a few questions though. Who set your wrist? I know that such a good set can't be done by one's self. So someone had to do it for you."   
  
This question threw her for a loop. She hoped that Vaughn interpreted her hesitation as meaning she was having trouble remembering, not she was having trouble coming up with a lie. "I have no idea. It wasn't set when I passed out. That was most of the pain I was feeling."

  
"Why would a stranger care so much about you?" he asked. "I don't know about this whole scenario. It sounds fishy."  
  
"Are you calling me a liar?" Sydney was shocked at Vaughn.

"Not at all. I just think we need to look into who your mystery rescuer really was. I wouldn't doubt if it was someone you've encountered in the past."

"Like who?"

"I don't know. There has been a rumor that--"

  
"Can we finish this later? My head's starting to hurt from trying to remember all of what went on." Searching for a new topic to talk about, Sydney looked down at her wrist cast. "So how am I doing? Think I'm going to pull through?"   
  
"As long as you don't want the beeping of your heart monitor to stop still, you should be fine. The doctor said that you had a pretty bad concussion when you were brought it. But it's nothing a little rest won't fix."   
  
"Do I have to stay here?"   
  
"For the time being. I'm not going to leave your side, Syd. You really scared me this time." He lightly squeezed her hand. "I wasn't sure if you had been kidnapped again."   
  
"Hey, if I was kidnapped that would give you plenty of time to focus on having a family."   
  
"That's not funny. I'm not going to apologize for moving on. You know that."   
  
"I know." Sydney turned her head so that she didn't have to look him in the eye. "But I just can't turn the feelings I have for you off at a moment's notice. I still feel like I've only been missing for a few weeks, not a few years. I can't seem to adjust to the fact that everything I've ever known has changed."   
  
"My love for you hasn't changed. I still care about what happens to you."   
  
"But not in the way you used to. I mean, you have a wife to look after now. You don't need the burden of having to constantly watch out for me. It's asking too much. I shouldn't have even asked you to come along on this mission."   
  
"If you hadn't asked me to come along, I still would have insisted to Dixon that I be included on the team."   
  
"Don't play the martyr and sacrifice your marriage for me." Sydney felt a tear roll down her cheek. She hoped that Vaughn wouldn't notice. "I know she makes you happy and that's all the really matters."   
  
"You make me happy to, Syd." Vaughn took a deep breath. He knew that he was treading on thin ice with this conversation, but he couldn't let Sydney go on being completely miserable with her life. "Sometimes I wish that Lauren wasn't around when you came back from the dead. It would have made things so much easier on both of us."   
  
"Don't say that about your wife," Sydney scolded. "You love her."   
  
"I love you, Sydney. I always have. I don't think that's ever going to change."   
  
"I don't know what you want me to say here, Vaughn." Vaughn didn't answer her, and she had run out of things to say. At least she had run out of things that were safe to say. All that was left was the words that would send them into a dangerous and delicate area. "The thing I miss most is waking up and knowing that you're lying next to me. I miss the comfort of that."   
  
She felt Vaughn's hand lightly touch her cheek and turn her head back to face him. It was a surprise to see that his eyes were filling up with tears. She didn't think that her words would hurt him, but obviously they were.   
  
"I miss being able to provide you with that comfort. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and reach my arm out for you. But you weren't there. I tried so hard to tell myself that you were gone. Sometimes I wondered if I had made up everything I ever knew about you. Maybe you were just this fantasy that I had cooked up in my dreams. Then I would wake up and see the sweater you left on my coach or that horrible mirror you made me purchase in Anchorage. And I'd know that you did exist and that you were gone. You were never coming back, Syd, and the idea of that killed me." Vaughn paused to take a breath. "It's selfish I know, but I was so happy when we got the call from you in Hong Kong."   
  
"Why would that be selfish?" she said trying to sound brave.   
  
"Because I knew that you were hurting and that it pained you to see me. And all I could think of was how glad I was to see you alive and well. I'm causing you so much pain, and all I can be is happy. And that goes against everything I've ever tried to be for you."   
  
"You might have caused me pain," she admitted, "but I was also happy to know that you were there, alive and well. It would have been so much to come back and hear that you were dead. That would have destroyed you."   
  
Vaughn stood up from his chair and leaned in towards Sydney. As she felt his face moving closer to hers, she whispered, "We can't do this, Michael."   
  
He paused as his lips were millimeters away from hers. "No, we shouldn't do this. And that makes all the difference."   
  
Sydney saw a spark of the love they once had in his eyes and gave in to the kiss she knew they could never repeat.   
  
For a last kiss, she had to admit that it was perfect. It felt like home to have his lips pressed against hers and his hands on her face. She never wanted it to end, and she wrapped her arms around his body as if she would die if he let go of her. He responded by deepening the kiss and sliding into the bed next to her.   
  
She ran her hands over her chest and realized that he really hadn't changed at all over the two years. He still felt like she remembered, still tasted as sweet as she recalled. And she knew that she couldn't do this to him.   
  
"Stop," she said. She gently pushed him away from her with the hands she had placed on his chest. "I love you too much to hurt you like this. You're married, and you love your wife."   
  
"I love you, Syd," Vaughn practically pleaded. "You have to know that I'm telling you the truth."   
  
"You're just interpreting the emotions you've felt since my return wrong. You think you love me, but you're just projecting the way things once were."   
  
Vaughn realized that she was giving him a way out of this situation. As much as his heart was screaming to ignore it, he knew that he had to seize the opportunity. "You're right, Syd. I'm sorry."   
  
"You'll always be my friend, Vaughn. That's a position that I refuse to let anyone else fill. Take comfort in that."   
  
He smiled at her and stood up. "I should call Dixon and let him know that you're all right and we're coming home soon."   
  
She gave him the bravest smile she could muster and turned away from where he was standing. It took all her strength not to call him back when she heard the door click shut. 


	49. Thoughts of Quitting and Kissing

"Where the hell have you been, Sark?" Irina yelled as soon as he entered her office. "You disappeared off of the face of the earth for forty-eight hours. No call, no warning."   
  
"I'm sorry if I was too busy saving your daughter's life to keep you informed of my every bloody move, Irina," he snarled at her. "I'm in no mood to put up with your crap."   
  
"That's bullshit and you know it, Andrew. Kaylee has been safe and sound in Los Angeles the whole time you disappeared. So don't try to feed me lies about where you've been. You agreed to be in my employment again, and the same rules apply now as did then."   
  
Sark looked at her in disgust. "You may forget sometimes, but you do have two daughters. Both of them seem to need my help in one way or another. I was with Sydney this whole time. Simon Walker tried to kidnap her again. He would have succeeded too if I hadn't been there to save her. So instead of yelling at me, you should be thanking me."   
  
"You expect me to believe that Sydney actually allowed you to help her? You should have stuck with the Kaylee story."   
  
"I'm telling you the truth. And yes, Sydney allowed me to help her. She didn't have much of a choice. She was stranded one hundred and twenty kilometers into the desert with a broken wrist and the worst concussion I've ever seen. If I weren't there with her, she would have died." Sark sat down in one of the chairs in Irina's office. "I'm not going to try to convince you that I'm telling the truth anymore. I know you'll check out whatever story I tell you. Go ahead. It's the truth."   
  
"At least you're still thinking rational." Irina shut the laptop she had been working on. "You felt the need to interrupt my work. Obviously there is something you were dying to talk to me about. Something that better be damn important."   
  
"It is," Sark said plastering his trademark smirk on his face. "I've come to tell you thanks but no thanks. I won't be rejoining your organization. But thanks for the information on Kaylee being alive. It was extremely helpful."   
  
"Stop!" Irina yelled as he made his way to the door. "You can't just walk out. It doesn't work that way. I want an explanation about the change of heart, and I want it now."   
  
"Sydney and I spent ten hours walking through the desert. We got to talking. Made me think a few things through. The most important thing to me right now is convincing Kaylee that I'm worthy of her taking me back. And I think the only way I can do that is to get out of this whole world. She's not going to want to raise a two-year-old with a man who's constantly putting her in danger."   
  
"What do you mean she has a two-year-old to raise?" she asked.   
  
"Don't tell me the incompetent CIA has pulled the wool over your eyes for two years. You didn't know that Kaylee had a son?"   
  
"I kept constant surveillance on her. I would have known if she were pregnant."   
  
Sark smirked. "You obviously didn't have very good employees working on that surveillance thing. She had a son with Will Tippin. You remember him, right? He was the man she was living in Wisconsin with."   
  
"Don't treat me like an idiot, Sark."   
  
"You're the one that didn't even know you were a grandmother." He knew that the grandma comment would really get under her skin and wasn't surprised when she sneered at him.   
  
"This changes everything. I need you here with me to work through this mess. You can't just abandon the work we've been doing for the past seven years."   
  
"I can and I will. Kaylee means more to me now than the Rambaldi prophecies. I told her once that I would give up everything for her. That's still true. I can't do this anymore."   
  
"You owe me your life, Andrew. I saved you on that day nine years ago on the streets of South Croyden. You would be dead without me and you know it. So don't be ungrateful."   
  
"Talk about the debt I owe you all you want. It's not going to make me stay. If you ever cared about me, you would just let me go do what I have to."   
  
Irina sighed and decided to try another tactic. "She's happy in her little life with Will Tippin. You really shouldn't try to change that. It won't make her want you anymore. I gave you the chance to talk with her. Clearly you blew it because instead of being with Kaylee, you were off in Egypt looking after her sister. That was your only chance to make her choose you over Tippin. There's nothing for you there." 

"I will never, ever believe that. I'm not going to stop fighting for her. I'd die before I'd give up. That was something you taught me. Perseverance. Just like the lie you've been keeping up for the past twenty-four years. I know you better than anyone with the exception of Kaylee. I know how much you really care for Jack Bristow. All your plans that you wanted me to believe were for the good of the organization? Those were all your sly ways of keeping both your daughters safe and keeping Jack Bristow in your life. You love him, Irina. Why don't you just tell him that? You could have a happy life." 

"I will not have this conversation with you, Andrew," she said sharply, turning away from his gaze. The look on her face softened slightly as she turned back towards him. "There's nothing I can do to get you to stay here?"   
  
"Nothing."   
  
"Then go, Andrew. You will always be welcome back at my side, though. In case things don't pan out. And thanks for the information on my grandson. What did you say his name was?"   
  
"I didn't," Sark said as he left her office. He didn't want to hand her any more information than he already had. There had to be a good reason why Kaylee would not have told her mother about Grayson's existence. He hoped that he hadn't hurt her in any way by revealing the truth.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Sydney's thoughts on the flight back to L.A. were all focused on Sark and the things he had confessed to her in Cairo. She was beginning to realize that she had grown to respect him. She could understand where he was coming from when he talked about his love for her sister. The same feelings and doubts were running through her brain when it came to Michael Vaughn. Every day she became more confused with that situation.   
  
"Are you ready, Syd?" Weiss asked her. While she had been daydreaming, it seemed the plane had landed and Weiss had gotten her bag out of the overhead bin.   
  
"I think so." Sydney took Weiss's arm for support. The doctors in Egypt had cleared her to travel, but they informed her that the journey would probably take its toll on her. She wasn't surprised to realize they were right. She did feel pretty weak.   
  
"What happened between you and Vaughn in that hospital?" Weiss asked as he led her off the plane. "He's been acting pretty distracted ever since you woke up."   
  
"I said something I shouldn't have. I made a mistake." She shrugged her shoulders.   
  
"What did you say to make him act so strange?"   
  
"I told him that I loved him." Sydney winced at the thought of Weiss's reaction. She wasn't disappointed when he screamed what loudly. "I know, I know. I just couldn't help it. He was talking about how much he was concerned for me when I disappeared, and then he was saying how the two years I was missing almost destroyed him. I couldn't help it."   
  
"Sydney, he's married. You can't interfere with that. You're too good a person to be a home wrecker."   
  
"Very funny, Weiss. I know that I can't interfere with his marriage. Which is why I pushed him away when we were kissing." She slapped her hands over her mouth. She hadn't meant to tell Weiss that part of the story.   
  
"You kissed him?!? Sydney, you can't be doing that. You have no idea how important his marriage is."   
  
"Honestly, Weiss, I can't imagine how important it is for him. I mean, he told me that he loved me. His marriage can't be that significant to him if he is still willing to admit that he wants me."   
  
"This marriage is extremely important. You don't even know how important it is to the CIA that he stays happy with Lauren."   
  
Sydney looked at him in confusion. "Why would his marriage be important to the CIA?"   
  
Weiss was bailed out on having to answer her question by a screaming two year old who came running straight into Sydney's legs. He latched on to her right one and squeezed.   
  
"Grayson, you know you're not supposed to run off from mommy's side," Kaylee called as she struggled to catch up to where her son was. "Hey, Sydney. I thought we'd come surprise you." She pulled her sister into a hard hug taking care not to smoosh her child in the process. "I was so worried about you when Vaughn called me to say that you were missing. I was afraid I would have to wait another two years to see you again."   
  
"No such luck," Sydney said with a laugh. She tried to remember what she had been about to ask Weiss, but Grayson's screaming that he didn't want to let go of Aunt Sydney's leg was breaking her concentration. She scooped him up into her arms. "And how are you doing, kid?"   
  
"He's a terror," Kaylee said. "I can't control him anymore." Kaylee turned her attention to Weiss. "I have it from here, Eric. You go in to the office. I know you have loads of work to do. Reports on why Sydney was allowed to almost be captured."   
  
"I think she was threatening me in a covert way there. You need to keep control of your sister," Weiss joke. He gave Sydney a quick hug and kissed Grayson on the head lightly. "I'll see you later, right?"   
  
"Absolutely," Sydney smiled.   
  
"So what happened?" Kaylee asked as they began walking to where she had parked her car.   
  
"Standard stuff. Someone tried to kill me again. I got saved. Had to walk through the desert to get to the nearest city. Ended up in the hospital. And here I am."   
  
"So, Vaughn saved you, huh?" Kaylee wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "How'd that go?"   
  
"Vaughn didn't save me, Sis." Sydney paused wondering if she should really be telling Kaylee the details of her rescue. Figuring she was going to find out sooner or later from someone, Sydney decided to tell her who exactly had saved her. "It was Sark who saved me."   
  
"What was Sark doing in Egypt? Heck, what was he doing in a position to save you? And why did he save you?"   
  
"I'm not really sure. He gave me a few good reasons that I mostly believe, but I'm still confused about the whole thing. I never imagined that he'd chose to save me." Sydney smiled wickedly at her sister. "I guess he really cares for you a lot."   
  
"What do I have to do with any of this?"   
  
"He was trying to make an effort to call a truce with me. For your sake, sister dear."   
  
"A truce? Between you two?" Kaylee shook her head. "It'll never happen."   
  
"I don't know. He's not that bad a guy," Sydney said. She pointed at a red convertible that was a couple rows away. "Is that your car?"   
  
"Yes, that's my car. And don't try to change the subject. I want to know who you are and what you did with the real Sydney. She would never admit to liking Sark unless he was holding a gun to her head. What have you done with her?"   
  
"Very funny, little one." Sydney placed Grayson in his car seat. "Let's just say that I had plenty of time to see what really makes him tick while we were trekking through the desert. And it turns out he's actually a lot more like me than I thought. Granted, he's exactly like you. But I'm willing to admit that he and I have our similarities."   
  
"Scorned lovers and all?" Kaylee said. She wanted to turn the conversation back to the subject of Vaughn. "How is Michael doing these days?"   
  
"I don't know." Sydney placed her hand on where her sister's hand was preparing to turn the key in the ignition. "He told me he loved me. Which confuses the hell out of me."   
  
"A married man's not supposed to do that," Kaylee stated.   
  
"Don't I know it. There's something seriously wrong with him and who he's become these past two years. I can't put my finger on it."   
  
"No. Putting your finger on it would definitely make you the other woman."   
  
"Kaylee! That is so inappropriate it's not even funny," Sydney shrieked.   
  
"Then why are you laughing?"   
  
Sydney smiled at her sister as Kaylee started the car and pulled out of her parking space. "I don't know what's going on with him. All I know is that I still love him as much as I did when I disappeared. And those feelings aren't going away any time soon."   
  
"It's a curse the women of our bloodline are forced to bear. Face it. We're doomed to be unlucky in love for the rest of our lives."   
  
"I don't know about that. You seem to have a pretty good beau in Will," Sydney said with a sly smile.   
  
"I told you that Will and I are not romantically involved. When are you going to believe me?"   
  
"In... oh... about a million years. He likes you, Kaylee. I may have been gone for two years, but I can still read what my best friend is feeling." Sydney felt the cell phone in her pocket vibrate. "Hold on a second. Hello? Vaughn. What's the matter? Um, okay. I'll be in as soon as my sister can drive us there."   
  
"What was that all about?" Kaylee asked.   
  
"I'm not really sure. Vaughn just said something about them making headway on trying to figure out where I've been and what I've been doing for the past two years. You wouldn't mind dropping me off at the CIA headquarters."   
  
Kaylee sighed. "You know, I'm not an agent of this government. So you'd really think they wouldn't let me know where their secret lair is. But I guess the U.S. government was never really that smart."   
  
"The things Mom taught you," Sydney said shaking her head.   
  
Kaylee laughed and accelerated as she pulled the car onto the highway. "Mom also taught me how to drive."   
  
"Should I be afraid?' Sydney joked.   
  
"Very." 


	50. Assassin

Kaylee bounced Grayson on her lap as she and her sister waited for the others to join the meeting. Sydney hadn't been surprised when her sister refused to wait in the car when they arrived at CIA headquarters. She was surprised however that her sister was able to get into the facility with such ease. She was sure that at least someone would protest her bringing a civilian and her child into the offices, but not one person paid them any more mind than normal.   
  
"Sydney," Jack said as he entered the meeting room. "Why did you bring them in with you?"   
  
"The runt wouldn't stay at home," Sydney joked. "Let me rephrase that. Neither runt would stay at home."   
  
"I resent that remark," Kaylee said. She feigned annoyance.   
  
"Kaylee, you and Grayson really shouldn't be here," Jack said. "Your sister needs a little space right now."   
  
"Fine," Kaylee said. She was beginning to get frustrated with the way everyone seemed to want to protect her and her son from anything that may potentially upset them. "I'll go show Grayson some of Marshall's new toys. But I'll have you know that I'm not made of glass. I can take hearing a little bad news. Please don't exclude me from things that probably have an effect on my life."   
  
"Here comes the rest of the crowd." Sydney pointed through the glass doors at as she watched Kaylee walk away from the room they were sitting in and noticed a handful of people making their way across the office. "This must be pretty important. There's Weiss and Vaughn, Marshall. And of course Dixon. At least they didn't try to bring my mom in again."   
  
"Sydney, haven't you heard?" Jack asked. "Your mother has evaded CIA detection for the past week."   
  
"God. A person goes on a mission and almost gets kidnapped, and she finds herself out of the information loop. Doesn't anybody think to clue me in on these things?"   
  
"Feeling out of it?" Weiss asked sitting in the seat next to Sydney.   
  
"Did you know that my mother has gone awol?"   
  
"Yeah." Weiss couldn't understand what was wrong with the fact that he was aware of Irina Derevko's defection.   
  
"Figures." Sydney probably would have gone on to rant at everyone if Dixon hadn't chosen that moment to get to the point of their meeting.   
  
"I called you all here because we received some anonymous intel today about the past two years for Sydney. It seems that you were working with the Covenant. My theory is that they were using some mind-altering substance or psychosurgery to get you to comply with them. We still don't know everything you did for the Covenant. We do however know that you murdered a Russian diplomat by the name of Andrian Lazarey."   
  
Sydney couldn't help but be shocked to find out that she had been used as a tool to murder by the Covenant. She had several horrifying ideas about what this new development would do to her life, including a particularly nasty one in which she gets locked up for life. "What does this mean for me?"   
  
"It's okay, Syd," Vaughn reassured her. "Dixon has been fighting for you with the big bosses since we received the intel. He got them to agree not to press charges on account of you having been brainwashed."   
  
"And there was also the fact that it was really the CIA and Director Kendall's fault that you got abducted in the first place," Dixon added. "It's all right now. The only thing holding you accountable will be your conscious. I know that you're probably going to start feeling guilt about what you've done. I just want to assure you that you weren't yourself when you killed Andrian Lazarey."   
  
"We don't know what I was," Sydney said. She was beginning to get angry at the lack of real information they had on her disappearance. These small baby steps weren't cutting it for her.   
  
"There's more, Sydney," Jack informed her. "This Russian diplomat, he has a connection to one of your enemies."   
  
"He is Sark's father," Vaughn said. "We haven't ever been able to learn Sark's origins, but this anonymous source obviously knows them. He explained that Sark hasn't seen his father in fourteen years since the day he got kicked out of his home."   
  
"Obviously Lazarey didn't care much for his son," Weiss joked. "I'm sure most of us share that feeling."   
  
"That's a little mean, don't you think?" Sydney said in defense of Sark. "His father abandoned the guy emotionally. That can't be a fun thing to go through." Sighing, she hoped that no one paid much attention to her outburst. "Is there anything else, Dixon?"   
  
"No. You can leave if you want Sydney. I know that you probably need some time to relax and unwind after that whole ordeal in Cairo."   
  
Sydney smiled in gratitude at Dixon and nodded a goodbye to everyone. She didn't make it very far from the meeting room before she heard someone calling in her name from somewhere behind her. "I'm so not in the mood to talk to anyone," she decided and proceeded to ignore whoever was calling out to her.   
  
Vaughn caught up to Sydney quickly. He grasped her arm harshly and spun her around to face him.   
  
"Were you actually defending Sark in there?" Vaughn accused. "I thought you hated him, but obviously you thought differently. It's odd, you defending Sark. It's about as odd as those flowers you had in your hospital room."   
  
"First off, take your hands off of me, Vaughn. It hurts." Sydney smacked his hand away. "Second of all, what the hell are you accusing me of?"   
  
"You and I have been involved with Sark for years now. I've never once heard you come even close to defending him or feeling sympathy towards him. I just want to know what happened to change that. And when it happened. Was there something between you two involving Cairo? You weren't very forthcoming with the actual events that transpired there. I wouldn't be surprised if he was connected with that somehow."   
  
"Why, Agent Vaughn. Are you jealous of Sark?" she said in a mocking tone. She quickly switched to a more aggressive, pissed off tone. "You have no right to be jealous of him. I'm not your girlfriend anymore. You have a wife. That's painfully obvious because of the way she's constantly mentioned in my presence. So don't scold me for defending Sark." She paused in her tirade as a thought dawned on her. "Besides, isn't he dead? I mean, that's what I heard from Dixon and Weiss."  
  
Vaughn sighed realizing he was being irrational. "I'm sorry, Sydney. I didn't mean that to come out so harshly."   
  
"It's all right." She gave him a smile. "I shouldn't have brought your wife into the conversation. I seem to do that a lot. Can't figure out why."   
  
"So, tell me why you defended him in there. I'm just curious. It's an awfully large change from the way you normally seem towards him."   
  
"My whole near death experience, being stranded in the desert, got me to thinking. I mean, the man was going to be a part of my family. I was trying to see where my sister was coming from. To you, that whole situation happened years ago. To me, it was only weeks. There were a few things that occurred to me which really made a lot of sense. I kind of found myself relating to him on a different level than before."   
  
"What could you have possibly realized to make such a dramatic shift?"

  
"I came up with a theory. Something I cooked up about him being an evil me and I'm kind of like a good him. It sounds crazy but it makes sense to me. I mean, if my mother had taken me with her when she staged her death, I really think I would have grown up to be a lot like Sark is. And if Sark hadn't been raised by a horrible father and loved by my mother, I think he might have had a chance to do some good with his life."   
  
"Do you think he could have ever made a change like that? If he was alive still, that is."   
  
"I believe that he wanted to change, Vaughn. He had a very powerful motivator to keep him on track."   
  
"And what would that be?"   
  
"The potential of having love in his life. It's not something that's he was used to, but it's something that he had for at least a little while when he was with my sister. If he were alive, he'd want that potential back. I wouldn't blame him for doing whatever it took to succeed in that quest."   
  
"I don't know where this change is coming from, Sydney, but I respect you enough to take it at face value."   
  
"Thank you," she said grateful that he wasn't going to press her any more. She didn't want to reenact the part of the conversation where she and Sark found common ground on the fact that they were both in love with people they couldn't have, let alone admit to Vaughn that Sark was alive. Both were just too awkward a subject to breach with him. She had a feeling after their 'conversation' in that Al Fayyum hospital that Vaughn knew exactly what she felt for him, but it was still dangerous ground to be treading on. "Vaughn?" she called as he began to walk away.   
  
"Yes, Syd?"   
  
"Would you kill me if I asked you to do me a favor?"   
  
"No," he said with a laugh. "It's practically routine for me to be doing you favors. What do you need now?"   
  
"I want you to make sure that the few days off that Dixon is probably going to force me to take aren't spoiled. There's a friend I have. Please don't ask me who. I really need to talk with him. Don't let Dixon do anything on the discovering my missing two years front."   
  
"I'll do what I can, Sydney. If you're leaving the country, try not to get yourself kidnap."   
  
"Funny!" she yelled as he walked away from her. "Very funny, Vaughn!"   



	51. MerryGoRound

"Sydney? Please don't hang up," Sark said into his cell phone. He was cruising down the Route 10 freeway on his way to view the apartment he had purchased over the phone earlier that day. Some information had been brought to his attention while he was driving. Information that had to do with Sydney.   
  
"I'm not going to hang up on you," Sydney's voice said from the other end of the line.   
  
"Do you know who this is? Because I definitely think if you did, you would hang up on me."   
  
"I don't make it a habit of keeping in contact with many Brits these days, so yes, Sark, I know who this is. What prompted you to call me? And how did you get this number?"   
  
"I'm just that good, Sydney. In all seriousness, I received a communication today that concerns you greatly."   
  
"And you figured in your quest to leave the dark side it would only be right to share this info with me?"   
  
"See? What did I tell you? You do understand me."   
  
"Fine. I'll meet with you. Let's just finish up this conversation before someone figures out that you're on the other side of this phone line. But you can't be calling me. I didn't tell anyone about your part in Cairo. The CIA doesn't know you're alive. Just the three Bristow women."   
  
"That means a lot to me." He paused. "Meet me in Griffith Park. There's an old merry-go-round. I'll be waiting for you there, Sydney."   
  
"Sark?" she said weakly hoping that he had hung up.   
  
"What is it?"   
  
"I have something to talk to you about to." She snapped her phone shut before he could respond. On a good note, at least now she didn't have to track down his location to tell him that his father was dead by her own hands.   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
There was noticeably something a little off with Griffith Park when Sydney arrived there an hour later. She didn't see one person in the park. There were no children playing, no parents screaming, and no old men feeding the birds. The park was deserted.   
  
"Kind of disconcerting?" Sark said as he walked up behind Sydney.   
  
"Kind of creepy. Why is there no one around?"   
  
"I'm just that good, Agent Bristow," Sark said with a smirk.   
  
"Like I believe that. Let's cut the banter and get down to business. The longer this takes, the more likely the CIA is going to find out about our meeting."   
  
Sark handed her a folder. "This is the information I found on where you've been the last two years."   
  
Sydney took a seat on the currently still merry-go-round and began to leaf through the folder quickly. All she wanted to see was if it mentioned her murder of Lazarey. She wasn't surprised to stumble upon a coroner's report on the man in question. "Then you know about your father?"   
  
"Yes," Sark said not looking over to where Sydney sat. "I know that you murdered him. And if you want to know the truth, I bet the bastard bloody deserved everything you did to him."   
  
"What exactly did I do to him?" She couldn't understand the coroner's report for the life of her.   
  
"Well, it appears like you tied him up at some point based on the rope burns on his wrists." Sark pointed at where it said that on the report. "And then there were burns on his chest and legs so I can only assumed that you were torturing him for information. I can't imagine why. The man was useless. They found a mild poison in his blood. It looks like you were planning on slowly poisoning him to get him to talk since the physical violence didn't seem to be working. He had a heart attack before you could actually kill him yourself."   
  
"This doesn't bother you at all?" Sydney asked confused at his calmness.   
  
"Like I said, the man was a bastard. He never loved me, and he reminded me of that every day I was with him. I enjoyed the five years I spent living on the streets twice as much as I enjoyed the first eleven years of my life that I spent with him. You think that your father did horrible things to do, Project Christmas and all. You don't know horrible until you've lived with my father."   
  
"Are we going to get into another discussion of how much our lives suck?" she asked.   
  
"Only if you want to, sweetheart." Sark sat down next to her. "Obviously you knew about the murder of my father. The CIA must have received some anonymous tips. But that's not the only thing in those files, Sydney."   
  
"Why don't you tell me what exactly you found out that you think I don't already know?"   
  
"I found out where you were for the entire two years you were missing. I know that you're aware you were in the custody of The Covenant. Simon Walker sold you to them. He has since joined the Covenant himself. When he sold you, though, that was his first interaction with the Covenant. They must have been pretty grateful to get their hands on you. Seems they had heard of the great spy Sydney Bristow," he teased.   
  
"I am world famous, you know," she added.   
  
"Well, just like the champion your reputation labels you as, it took the Covenant six months before they broke you. And by broke I don't mean in the conventional way. They didn't torture you in any physical way. They tried to get you to join them of your own free will. I guess they figured that would be the only way they could get you to stay with them for an indefinite period of time."   
  
"I may have amnesia, but I know that I wouldn't willingly join a terrorist organization, Sark."   
  
"And you didn't. That tactic didn't work. Once they realized that, the Covenant resorted to drastic measures. They performed an unconventional surgery on your brain. It blocked out your ability to recall certain events that had occurred in your life. They planted false memories that made you believe you had joined the Covenant of your own free will. And they fed you lies about a head trauma you had experienced while on a mission for them. You thought you were doing what you had chosen to do. You became Julia Thorne."   
  
"At least my alias sounded cool. It could have been a lot worse."   
  
"I'd be concerned if I didn't know that you were using inappropriate humor as a defense mechanism."   
  
She shot him an annoyed look. "What was I doing for them?"   
  
"You were their go-to girl. They went to you when there was a problem that no one else seemed to be able to handle. You did it all for them, kid. You killed. You stole. You even blew up national monuments."   
  
"What national monument did I blow up?"   
  
"You follow baseball, don't you, Sydney? Or at least you did before you disappeared, right?"   
  
"Yes. Where are you going with this, Sark?"   
  
"I haven't heard of the Toronto Blue Jays playing in awhile. That could be because you blew up the Toronto Skydome." She stared at him in shock. "And then there was the chunk of St. Patrick's Cathedral that you managed to collapse in Dublin. Oh! And the Victory Column in Berlin wasn't the same since you stole the statue of the Victory goddess that was sitting on top of it. I won't even get into what you did in Rome."   
  
"You have got to be joking," Sydney said.   
  
"No. Come to think of it. I think destroying moments was your thing. People started coming to you when the mission called for exactly that."   
  
"Okay. So in the two years missing I cut a path of terror across the world. Good to know. Anything else?"   
  
"Yeah. That was all the easy stuff. After you had worked with them almost eighteen months and shortly after you killed Lazarey, they began to suspect you were slipping back into your old persona. That the brainwashing had been slowly wearing off and you were going to snap out of the trance any day now. So they set up a test for you. It was their way of seeing whether or not you were still the vicious killer they had created."   
  
"What was the test?"   
  
"The Covenant had you return to L.A. They risked the CIA and your friends finding out you were still alive. Your mission was to go to Francie's restaurant when you thought she was alone inside. You were supposed to burn down the building with her in it."   
  
"But I know I didn't do that. Francie's alive and living in London. I've talked to her," Sydney insisted in disbelief of what Sark was telling her.   
  
"I think that the Covenant was right and their programming of you was slipping. You didn't check to make sure Francie was in the restaurant when you set fire to it. I think that in your subconscious you knew she wasn't inside which is why you were able to let yourself do what you did."   
  
"That's a mighty nice sense of faith you have in me, Sark."   
  
"I may have said that sometimes you've yearned to be a killer like me. Doesn't mean I actually believe you would ever lower yourself to my level," he joked.   
  
"So I burned down the restaurant. What happened to me after that?"   
  
"According to the information I received, the restaurant burning knocked your head around a bit. You got confused and didn't follow through with the mission. You were supposed to return to the Covenant immediately and report what had happened. Instead you went to Geneva and found Dr. Gaugnier."   
  
"He's a world-renowned authority on the brain," Sydney said. She furrowed her brow in confusion. "How did I know that?"   
  
"Because you met him, talked with him, and let him operate on you. You wanted to know if anything was wrong in that head of yours. So you agreed to let him take a peek. Gaugnier was actually an employee of your mother's. He recognized you from the resemblance you bear to her. That was the only reason that he operated on you instead of shooting you on the spot."   
  
"Good to know my genetic ties to my mother are useful for something."   
  
"Gaugnier cleared the block that the Covenant had placed in your brain. He explained to you that as soon as your body recovered from the surgery, you wouldn't remember what you had done the past two years. The severity of the surgery would cause you to revert those memories and therein give you amnesia."   
  
"So why did I go to Hong Kong after I left Geneva?"   
  
"That I don't know, Sydney. I told you I didn't have all the answers."   
  
"But you really helped. I know that I should probably be skeptical of the information you've given me, but I'm not. Maybe you brainwashed me when I wasn't looking while we were in Egypt."   
  
"You caught me," he said with a laugh.   
  
Sydney sat in silence for a minute before saying what was on her mind. "Let me give you a little advice, Sark. My sister isn't ready for you to come back actively pursuing her. She still has a few situations she needs to iron out before she's even close to letting you back in."   
  
"So you're telling me to not pressure her?"   
  
"You've grown on me these past few days. I'm telling you that being aggressive with this situation is only going to push her away." Sydney stood up. "Let me know if you find out anything else from this source that seems to know everything about my missing two years.   
  
"I will," he said honestly.   
  
"I know you will," she said with a sad smile, "which says a lot for how I think of you." With a small wave, she began to walk back to her car trying to think of ways to let the CIA know of the new information Sark had given her. 


	52. Bumpy Scars and Imaginary Boyfriends

Sydney lifted her shirt up and stared at her stomach in disgust. She lightly fingered the scar that she couldn't remember getting. "It's all bumpy and gross," she said squinting up her nose.   
  
"What's all bumpy and gross?" Kaylee asked as she entered the room.   
  
"This." Sydney turned towards her sister and pointed at the scar. "This stupid scar that I know I got sometime in the past two years, but I can't remember the actually getting of it."   
  
"That's a beauty." Kaylee bent down to take a closer look at it. "Wow. Now that's something to be proud of."   
  
"Has anyone ever told you that you are slightly different than a normal person?" Sydney poked her scar again. "It's like it stares at me saying I know something you don't. And then it taunts me with the fact that I haven't told the CIA it's there. It laughs at me."   
  
"And I'm the one who's strange?" She sighed and flung herself on the bed. "I don't see any eveningwear lying out on your bed. You promised you'd come with me tonight, Syd."   
  
"I don't know if a party is what I'm in the mood for tonight."   
  
"This isn't any party, Syd. It's Michael and Lauren's one-year anniversary. Your whole office is going to be there, and it will look strange if you're absent. You know you have to go."   
  
"I know," Syd said as she flung herself down on the bed next to her sister. "But don't you need someone to watch Gray?"   
  
"No, I hired someone to do that. Don't try to make excuses."   
  
"It's just so strange. I mean, their whole marriage wouldn't have happened if I weren't dead at the time. I feel personally responsible for all the pain and misery in my life."   
  
"If you think I'm going to feel sorry and let you out of going with me, you're wrong."   
  
"It was worth a try." Sydney sighed softly. "I was telling you the truth though. My relationship with Vaughn is so strange now. He's been avoiding me rather deliberately. Ever since the whole Cairo mess."   
  
"That was three months ago, Syd. He can't have been successfully avoiding you for that long a time."   
  
"So I didn't really try to seek him out. When two people are avoiding each other at the same time, it's actually quite easy."   
  
Kaylee groaned and thrust herself up off the bed. She flung open Sydney's closet doors and began rifling through. "Here. You're wearing the red one. It's not too trampy that people will think you're making a play for Michael."   
  
"But isn't that what I was going for?" Sydney joked. "People will expect it of me. I can't disappoint."   
  
"Put it on. Do your hair and makeup. I'm going home to get ready. I want to see you ready and excited to go in an hour when I come back. Don't disappoint me, Syd."   
  
"I won't. If it's that important to you that I go, I'll go." Kaylee smiled and made her way to the door. Just as she was shutting it behind her, she heard her sister call, "But I don't have to like it!"   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Kaylee grasped her sister's hand as they entered the ballroom where Vaughn and Lauren's party was being held. She knew that this whole thing was hard for her sister, but in the back of her mind she knew that it would almost have been worse if Sydney hadn't come. She couldn't avoid Vaughn forever. "She shouldn't avoid Vaughn forever," Kaylee mumbled.   
  
"What did you say?" Sydney asked.   
  
"I said there's Vaughn. Go talk to him, Sydney. Before Lauren realizes you've shown up and swoops in to block."   
  
Sydney shot her sister a dirty look and made her way to where Michael was talking to a few people from the office. It took her close to fifteen minutes before she finally reached him. She had run into Marshall and Tom Atkins, an agent she had just gone on a mission to Buenos Aires with. Both of them were babblers, and Tom was also a stuttering man. So it took quite a bit for Sydney to disengage herself from the conversation. She did eventually make it over to Vaughn, though, and Lauren still wasn't in sight.   
  
"Where's Lauren?" Sydney asked as she tapped Vaughn on the shoulder.   
  
"Sydney!" he cried. "I can't believe you came." He sighed and started again, realizing she was probably going to interpret that comment wrong. "I mean, Sydney, I'm glad you came."   
  
"We've been acting like little kids lately, huh? With the avoiding," she admitted.   
  
"Yeah. It was just the awkwardness after Al Fayyum was a little too much for me. It was easier just to stop paying attention to you. It made the hurt a little less."   
  
"I know what you mean. Listen, Vaughn. I know that you're happily married and that having me around complicates your life. I think we're both strong enough people to get past that. Both of us have mentioned in the past that we work well together. That's still true. You're still the one I would chose to have my back on any mission."   
  
"And I still worry about you when you're out on a mission. Especially the ones I have no part in."   
  
"So do you think we can get past this whole amnesia mess I brought back with me and go back to the normal partner thing?"   
  
"Yeah, I think we can." Vaughn smiled at Syd and held out his arms. She gave him a quick hug and then stepped back. "I thought we were going to try to get back to normal."   
  
"Yeah. Except a few things have to change. I mean you're a married man." Sydney winked at him and walked away. As soon as she was sure he wasn't watching her anymore, she ducked behind a pillar and let out the breath she had been holding in. That conversation had been one of the hardest aliases she had even had to become. She knew that there was no way she could ever want to just be friends with Vaughn, but it was hurting him too much to know that she still loved him. And hurting him was hurting her. And that was just hurting him.   
  
"It's like a vicious cycle," she mumbled peaking out from behind the pillar. Lauren had finally found Vaughn, and it appeared like she had found him in time to see his parting hug with Sydney. She didn't look too happy.   
  
"Ha!" Weiss yelled jumping out from the other side of the pillar. "I found your hiding place, Ms. Bristow."   
  
"So, I was hiding. So what?" Sydney pouted.   
  
"Your sister told me that you were hiding back here. Thought I'd come and see what was the matter."   
  
"How does she manage to keep track of my every move?" Sydney wondered.   
  
"It must be one of her superhero powers. Back to you. What's the matter?"   
  
"I think that I just cut the last tie I had with Vaughn. I told him that I just wanted to be friend with him. That it would be better that way."   
  
"Which is a total lie, I'm guessing."   
  
"Complete lie. But what else could I do?"   
  
"Yeah. At least for a few months, you're going to have to stay just friends with him."   
  
"What do you mean by 'at least for a few months'? Are you telling me that something is going to change all this in a few months?"   
  
"What?" Weiss's face paled at her questions. "I said nothing of the sort. Stop trying to put words in my mouth."   
  
"You've been making little cracks like that since I first got back. You know something that no one is telling me. Fess up now, Weiss. What is going on?"   
  
"I have no idea what you mean." Weiss made a zipping motion on his lips.   
  
"Hmmm. Let me guess this is a matter of national security, and my current position doesn't allow me to know the details. Like I haven't heard that line a million times since I got back. It seems like the CIA is trying to withhold every little bit of information they come across from me."   
  
"That's an exaggeration, Syd. Besides, you withheld information from the CIA."   
  
"My scar is completely different than what you're hiding," Syd was quick to argue.   
  
"Your scar? What are you talking about? I was referring to the anonymous information you claimed to receive three months ago that let us know all that information about your missing two years. I know that you didn't just stumble upon the information. Someone gave it to you, and that was probably someone you know. I still don't understand why you're protecting this person. It could mean your job."   
  
"I know what I'm doing, Eric." Sydney heard the band begin to play a slow waltz. "I guess the dancing has started. Would you care to show them how it's done?"   
  
"Sure." Weiss figured that the dancing would give them ample distraction from the lies they were both feeding each other. He hated lying to Sydney about the issues behind Vaughn's marriage, but he knew that she couldn't handle the truth.   
  
They returned to their normal light, humorous banter for the next few dances. Since they both found comfort in the silliness of their attempts at dancing, they probably would have kept dancing for hours if Sydney's cell phone hadn't interrupted.   
  
"Would you excuse me?" she said to Weiss as she went to answer her phone.   
  
Weiss made his way over to where Vaughn was standing with his wife. "Hey, buddy. Enjoying your big soiree?"   
  
"Not a bit," Vaughn whispered. "You know I hate serious things like this. It's not my style."   
  
"You're more a beer and chilidog, hockey game type of guy," Weiss whispered back. Vaughn laughed softly to himself. "So how's the little lady?"   
  
"She's currently mad at me. Sydney and I sort of came to an understanding. Lauren saw us and got a little jealous. She thinks I'm still in love with Sydney."   
  
"Which you are," Weiss reminded him.   
  
"No, I'm not. Why won't anyone believe me when I say that?"   
  
"Um... let me think. Could it be because you're lying?"   
  
"I'm not lying."   
  
"Well, you certainly don't love Lauren." Weiss saw Sydney came back into the ballroom. "Excuse me, buddy. My dancing partner has just returned. This conversation is not over."   
  
Weiss made his way through the crowd and back to Sydney in time to see her retrieve her coat from the coatroom. "Going somewhere so suddenly, Ms. Bristow?"   
  
"Urgent call," she said shaking her cell phone in emphasis.   
  
"Could that have been the mysterious Andrew?" Weiss asked.   
  
"What are you talking about?"   
  
"Come on, Syd. I'm not dumb. You've been getting phone calls from a mysterious person for months now. Every time he calls, you run off somewhere. I've overheard you referring to your caller as Andrew. You're trying to get over Vaughn by getting back on the dating scene?"   
  
"You have an overactive imagination, Eric Weiss," she said as she slipped on her coat.   
  
"Admit it. You have a secret boyfriend."   
  
Sydney knew that there was no way she could tell Weiss the truth about her mysterious phone calls so she decided to let him think what he wanted. But there was no way she was going to lie to him out right and tell him that she did have a boyfriend. She knew that it was probably stupid, but she still believed if she didn't move on, then Vaughn would eventually come running back to her.   
  
"You think what you want to think, Weiss. I have to leave. Tell Vaughn and Lauren congratulations for me, and make sure my sister knows that I'm okay. Oh! And thank her for dragging me here. It was the right thing to do." Sydney pulled Weiss into a quick hug and turned to leave.   
  
"Give Andrew a kiss for me," Weiss called.   
  
Sydney sent him a dirty look as the door shut behind her.   



	53. Comfort and Understanding

Sydney threw her cell phone and purse onto the table in the entryway of her house. She wasn't in the mood to get any more calls. Though the random wrong number call she had gotten earlier had provided her with just the right opportunity to leave the party. She didn't think she could take much more of having to be brave. And the sight of Lauren and Vaughn acting so happy together was beginning to make her physically ill.   
  
"It's not his fault, Sydney," she told herself as she checked her answering machine for messages. She had hoped the guy Eric had affectionately called her mystery man had phoned while she was out. He would understand the sheer pain she had put herself through that night.   
  
Frustrated that there was no blinking red light on her answering machine, she walked to her room and dug through the mound of clothes that had magically appeared on her bed throughout the day. "I never understand where the clothes come from and how they find their way out of my closet," she grumbled as she threw the heap of clothes off of her bed and onto the floor. She found her favorite pair of sweatpants and one of her old t-shirts from college. Her dress hit the floor, and she was in those comfy clothes before you could blink.   
  
As she pulled the bobby pins out of her hair and threw it up into a quick ponytail, she decided the tiny little hors d'oeuvres that were served at the party were definitely not enough to fill her up. Excited with the idea, she made her way to the kitchen to fix her favorite snack of midnight cereal.   
  
The sound of her door clicking shut and the deadbolt being turned stopped her in her tracks.   
  
"It's just me, Sydney," Sark's voice called out.   
  
She relaxed and kept walking towards the kitchen. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock, Andrew?"   
  
"I thought that knocking might scare you," he said sitting down on the coach and putting his feet on her coffee table.   
  
"And just letting yourself in wouldn't scare me at all," she answered sarcastically. "Get your feet off my table. Boy, you seemed to have left your manners at the door."   
  
She fixed herself a bowl of the first cereal she could find and sat down next to Sark on the coach. "What are you doing here? And without a phone call to warn me you were coming? I would have vacuumed."   
  
"Figured you weren't going to go to the big party I heard was going on tonight. Too much pain and suffering to be had there, I understand that. Thought you might want a little company and a little something to drown out your emotions with. I brought wine." He reached down to pick up the bag he had brought in with him.   
  
"Wine doesn't mix well with cereal," she informed him. "And for your information, I did go to the party. But I left early. You know two years ago I think it would have creeped me out realizing you knew the location of my spare key."   
  
"It's like routine now. I let myself in making sure I lock the door behind me."   
  
"Wouldn't want Will or Kaylee stumbling upon us being all chatty and friendly." Sydney's eyes widened. "Or worse my father. After realizing you were alive, he'd would kill you on the spot."   
  
"Jack's going to have to get used to the idea of having me around."   
  
"I thought you were given your pursuit of Kaylee a rest until she figured out those things I was telling you about."   
  
"I know. But in the back of my head, I have the whole thing planned out. I've seen the events occur a million times and I do have to admit I'm a genius."   
  
"And completely full of yourself." Sydney laughed recalling something from earlier that evening. "And I have something to tell you that will probably inflate your ego a little more. You wouldn't guess what Weiss said to me while I was there, though."   
  
"He accused you of withholding information from him?" Sark guessed.   
  
Sydney looked at him in surprise. "Actually, yes, but that's not what I was referring to. He accused me of having a new boyfriend. A boyfriend named Andrew."   
  
"He's on to us, darling. You must leave this life behind and elope with me immediately."   
  
Sydney couldn't help but laugh. After she had calmed down, she turned a little serious. "You know that the CIA would kill me if they found out about all the times you and I have met these past three months and the fact that I've been lying to their face."   
  
"No, they would kill me regardless of the fact that I am the only thing keeping you sane these days. I should be given a medal for that. Instead there's the nasty threat of imprisonment hanging over my head. You'd probably just get a light slap on the wrist if we were caught. Me, I'd get the death penalty for corrupting the wholesome Agent Bristow."   
  
"Life sucks," Sydney mumbled through a mouth of cereal.   
  
"Now who doesn't have manners? Good god, woman. Close your mouth when you chew!"   
  
Sydney laughed again. "So is this a personal visit or business?"   
  
"To be honest, it's a little bit of both. Like I said, I was concerned for you what with that nasty party going on, and then, on the business side, something came to my attention today. I was actually hoping that you were going to be at that party and not here in the house when I let myself in."   
  
"You were going to snoop!" Sydney said feigning shock.   
  
"No, I wasn't." Sark paused and thought it over. "Wait. Yes, I was." He stood up and went to her front door. "Just as I thought. You haven't checked your mail yet today." He threw a very pricey looking envelope in her lap.   
  
"What's this?" she asked as she set her empty cereal bowl down.   
  
"Open it and then we'll discuss."   
  
Sydney ran her hand across the front of the envelope. Her address was on it, but there was no postage. So it must have been hand delivered. She flipped the envelope over and broke the wax seal that was keeping it closed. There was a small square of paper inside. She read it aloud.   
  
"Mr. Simon Walker requests the presence of Agent Sydney Bristow at a gathering he is hosting for all of his work acquaintances. He encourages that all of his guests arrive unarmed. September 7th, 2005. 8PM sharp. P.S. Please don't mention this gathering to your respective superiors or anyone else who might interfere. Mr. Walker wouldn't like that."   
  
Sydney flipped the card over to discover there was a handwritten note on the back. "Wear that tight black number. I always loved that one. Simon."   
  
She flung the invitation onto the table in front of her. "That man is such a pig." She turned her attention back to Sark. "And he knows something about my missing two years that no one's been able to find out. He's always hinting at the fact that we had a relationship, but there is no evidence anyone can find of that." She turned her attention away from Walker and back to the invitation. "How did you know this would be here anyway?"   
  
"I got one myself this morning. I figured that if I got one, you must have had one too. I'm not sure what this whole meeting is about, or even why Walker invited me. I haven't ever had contact with the bastard."   
  
"But you figured a united front is the best way to approach this mysterious gathering."   
  
"The invitation seemed less of an invitation and more of a command. I don't think Mr. Walker will be taking no for an answer."   
  
Sydney thought over what he was trying to get at. Realization dawned on her face. "Why, Andrew. Are you asking me to be your date?" Sydney batted her eyelashes at him.   
  
"No. That was less of an invitation and more of a command," he joked.   
  
Sydney smiled at him and reread Simon's note to her. "Do you think I should wear my little black dress like he asked? Could help us in the long run."   
  
"I think that was more of a request than a command. Anyway, I don't think you want to call any extra attention to us. And if I know the dress he was referring to, it'll call everyone's attention to you."   
  
Sydney smacked Sark's arm. "I know you said you didn't know for sure, but I know you have to have a theory on what this whole thing is about."   
  
"I think that Simon has something that he thinks every government agency would want. I assume that we'll be seeing a lot of familiar faces there. Most of them will be people you or I hoped we'd never see again."   
  
"Oh joy." Sydney flipped the invitation over and reread the printed part. "You gambled on the fact that I would have an invitation. He clearly said not to mention it to anyone. Why did you take the chance and come over here tonight?"   
  
"Like I said, I hoped that you would be out so that I could snoop before you got back. To be honest, I didn't think it really mattered if you were here or not. If this were truly a gathering of the world's best spies, Sydney, you would probably be at the top of the list. So it wasn't much of a gamble."   
  
She nodded her acceptance of his reasoning. "Did your invitation have a comment written on the back?"   
  
"Yeah. That's another reason I wasn't so scared to bring your attention to yours."   
  
"Explain."   
  
"Well, mine said 'Bring your new phone pal with you'." 


	54. Plans

"Syd!" Vaughn yelled as he raced to catch up with her. "Hey. I haven't seen you all day."   
  
"Dixon has kept me busy researching a new development in one of the many boring areas the CIA is concerned with. I tried to tell him that researching wasn't my thing. I'm more of a disguise and fight kind of gal."   
  
"But he still made you do the research," Vaughn added.   
  
"Yeah. So, what's up?"   
  
"Well, I was wondering if you were up to anything tonight."   
  
"Why? Is there a mission you think we should volunteer for?"   
  
"No, it's just that Lauren has some NSC mission to go on, and so I figured it might be a nice night for you, me, and Weiss to just kick back and unwind. I thought it could almost be like old times."   
  
Sydney swore to herself. She was getting a little tired of pretending that she was all right being in Vaughn's presence without being able to touch him. It killed her almost every time he was near not to reach out and run her fingers over his lips and through his hair. "I'm sorry, Vaughn. I can't. There's this thing that I promised one of my friends that I'd do with him."   
  
"Will?" Vaughn asked. "Because I'm sure you could get him to let you out of that commitment."   
  
"No, Will's babysitting Grayson for Kaylee tonight. I think she might have a date because she wouldn't tell me where she was doing."   
  
"So, if it's not Will..." Vaughn pondered for a moment. "Is it that mystery guy Andrew that Weiss keeps going on about? Because if it is, you can tell me."   
  
"Okay." Sydney held her hand up. "I'm getting a little tired of Eric trying to dig through my personal life. Has he ever heard of giving a person space?"   
  
"No, I don't think he has."   
  
"Anyway, I'm really sorry that I can't do that whole relaxing thing with you and Weiss tonight. Sorry!" Sydney smiled at him and made her way back to her desk where the dreaded research was still waiting to be completed.   
  
Vaughn just watched her walk away and cursed himself for pushing her. He knew she had to be dating that guy. The way Weiss explained the manner she talked with this Andrew she definitely had something invested in him. He should have known that she would give up on him just as he had given up on her.   
  
"What's the matter?" Weiss asked as he saw his best friend staring in the general direction of Sydney. "You really shouldn't be staring at her. People will start to question how happily you're married."   
  
"And what would be wrong with that?" Vaughn asked.   
  
"What's wrong?" Weiss asked again.   
  
"I was trying to set up a little alone time with Sydney, and it didn't work."   
  
"You used the whole you-me-and-Weiss-can-hang-together-like-old-times approach, didn't you? I told you that wouldn't work."   
  
"It would have work. As long as I could convince you not to actually show up."   
  
"Another con against that whole scenario, Michael. You shouldn't be alone with Sydney. And you know that."   
  
"I know, I know. But I just can't help but want to spend time with her. Our relationship is practically non-existent anymore."   
  
"Whose fault is that?"   
  
"The CIA's!" Vaughn yelled. "It's always the CIA's fault that my life gets turned upside down. First, my father dies in their service. Then they assign me to debrief a new walk-in agent. Third I almost die from a flood in a closed corridor in Taipei and by a biological weapon in the same year. And now they're keeping me from throwing this marriage dow--"   
  
Weiss slapped his hand over Vaughn's mouth. "I know you need to rant, buddy. But you know that you can't finish that sentence." He lowered his hand off of Vaughn's mouth when he was sure his friend had calmed down. "So what went wrong with your genius plan?"   
  
"She has somewhere else to be with some guy who she refused to tell me the identity of. And then I accused her of having a boyfriend and not telling me. Then she tried to change the subject by being mad at you."   
  
"She probably was mad at me," Weiss admitted. "Do you think I should hide for the rest of the day?"   
  
"I think that might be best." Vaughn smiled at his friend. "In fact, knowing Sydney, you probably shouldn't show your face for at least a week."   
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Later that day, Sydney found herself staring at her reflection in her mirror back at her house. She still wasn't comfortable going to this party that Simon Walker was holding, but Sark seemed to think that whatever was going to happen there, they couldn't afford to resist. The front door clicked open, and Sydney could hear someone enter her house. Sighing, she threw a bathrobe on over her dress while reaching for the gun she had placed on her night table.   
  
"Is someone there?" she yelled right before she darted out of her room and across the hall. If this was someone trying to hurt her, she wanted him or her to think she was still standing in her bedroom.   
  
"It's just me, Syd!" Sark called from the front of the house. "Please put the gun I know is in your hand down. Blood doesn't go too well with my suit."   
  
She sighed and shrugged off her bathrobe, throwing on the bed in the spare bedroom. "I keep saying you need to start calling before you let yourself in."   
  
"I know. It's such a pain though." Sark caught his first look at Sydney. "Wow. You look beautiful, Agent Bristow."   
  
Sydney stared at him in confusion as he broke eye contact with her and left the room. "Did I do something wrong, Andrew?" she asked.   
  
"No. It's just... where did you get that dress?" he asked.   
  
"Well, I didn't want to wear a dress the CIA had provided me and all of my own eveningwear was not fancy enough for what you said this gathering would be. So I borrowed a dress from my sister. Oh."   
  
"She wore that dress on our fifth date," Sark whispered.   
  
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I could change. I'm sure there was some dress I overlooked which would be appropriate."   
  
"Don't. I've already gotten used to the idea of you wearing it. Besides, I think that it will bring just the right amount of attention to you. I was thinking that we might need a distraction at some point this night. Now I see that you in that dress works quite well for that purpose."   
  
"As long as it means I get to slap someone, I'm happy," she joked.   
  
"Are you ready to go?"   
  
"No, I'm not ready. I don't think I'll ever be ready to freely walk into the hands of the man who kidnapped me and sold me like a slave. But we have to go, so I guess I'm prepared to leave."   
  
Sark nodded and offered his arm to her. "I hope you don't mind. I parked my car a few streets over. We have to cut through your back yard and your neighbor's too, but it will keep us from being detected together."   
  
Sydney nodded. "I wish you had told me. I may have worn more sensible shoes."   
  
"Sydney, we both know that you do your best work in amazingly high, uncomfortable shoes. Besides, I recall those particular ones." He pointed to her feet. "They definitely hurt when they're being slammed into one's head."   
  
She laughed and linker her arm in his. "Let's go."   
  
The drive to the address Simon provided them was surprisingly short. It made Sydney suspicious of who might be at the party. "Awfully convenient that this gathering is being held in such close proximity to my place of employment," she whispered in Sark's ear as they headed to the front door of the building.   
  
"Are you scared that you're going to run into some of your co-workers?"   
  
"Terrified. But like you keep telling me, the end product of tonight might make all this fear and questioning worth it."   
  
"That's my girl." Sark padded Sydney's hand lightly.   
  
"Here we go," Sydney whispered as the guards pulled the massive doors open for them to enter.   



	55. Faces From the Past and Present

Sydney stared in shock at all the familiar faces she saw sitting at their own individual tables in the grand room. Quickly she yanked Sark away from where anyone could spot them and shoved him into a small nook to which she was sure no one was paying attention.

"What was that all about?" he asked. "We only stepped two feet into this place and you're already freaking out." He was willing to believe her without question if Sydney thought they needed to hide, but he did want a little explanation.

"Did you not notice any of the people sitting in that room?" Sark shrugged his shoulders. "Are you a spy or what? Jesus!"

"Breathe, Sydney," Sark whispered noticing that she was coming close to hyperventilating. "Now who exactly is in there?"

"A shitload of people who shouldn't see us together," she whispered back. Sark just gave her a confused look. "It's not that I'm embarrassed to be coming here with you. I mean, we were both invited."

"Thanks. Good to know you think so highly of me, Agent Bristow."

"Don't play the role of the wounded British guy who gets offended easily," she scolded. "I know it's an act. So cut it out." Sark smiled at her. "It's just that there are a lot of people in there that won't understand why you and I are so chummy with one another. We're going to get nothing out of this whole gathering because you and I are going to spend it defending ourselves to everyone present."

"Who's in there that has you so riled up?" he asked again hoping this time she would give him a clear answer.

"For starters, I saw Anna Espinosa in there. You may have heard of her. About three years ago, she was the best agent the K-Directorate had. Then she dropped off of the face of the earth. I assumed that she had been killed on a mission. Anna was my 'nemesis' before a certain cocky bastard came on the scene."

Sark winked at her. "You know you loved having me around. You were practically begging for someone who can challenge you to appear."

"And then there's the small problem of Vaughn's wife, Lauren, being here."

"Where?" Sark asked sticking his head out from their hiding place. "I haven't gotten a look yet at the woman who's turned your life upside down."

"Get back in here. She's sitting with her father over at the far table." Sydney allowed Sark to subtly peak his head out again. "I think that's her father she's with. Funny. Vaughn said she was visiting her sister's tonight."

"Of course she lied to him. The invitation did say tell no one on pain of death. She's definitely not as pretty as you are, Sydney."

Sydney rolled her eyes. "And then there's my mother and father."

"They're here? Together?" Sark began looking around wildly. "Has hell frozen over and no one's told me about it? Because there's a couple girls back in primary school that owe me some dates."

She smacked his arm. "Stop joking around. This is serious. Why would my mother and father be here together? They hate each other."

"Shouldn't we be focusing on the fact that your father doesn't know I'm alive?"

Sydney gave him a dirty glance. That was the least of their problems.

Sark smiled at her innocently. "Way I heard it they had a sort of reconciliation when you went missing. Joined together to find out what really happened to you. Situations like that tend to bring people together. It's not so unbelievable."

"If you've heard the way he talks about her, then you'd think it was pretty fucking unbelievable," Sydney hissed. "But if we get past the weirdness of them being together, we still have to deal with the issue that my father will see you with me. That won't make him happy. And my mother won't be happy that you quit her employment just to cozy up to her other daughter, the one you haven't been engaged to before."

"Are you asking for a ring, Sydney? Because that might be moving a little too fast for me. We've only just begun this relationship."

"Can't you ever be serious?" She usually liked Sark's constant sarcasm and humor, but at this moment it was starting to get on her nerves.

"What can I say, you bring out the most inappropriate behavior in me."

Sydney sighed again and grasped his arm. "Well, there's no way around it. We just have to walk in there like we don't care who else is in there."

"A great decision," Sark said with a smirk.

"Just don't try to talk to my father. I don't fancy cleaning blood stains off of this dress."

Sark led her straight down the middle aisle to a vacant table that had name cards bearing their names. Sydney was quite curious when Sark had found the time to figure out that this was the table they were designated to sit at. "Maybe I shouldn't underestimate him. He may have been gone for two years just like me, but he's still as sharp as I am," she thought to herself.

"Sydney," Sark said breaking into her thoughts. "Your father is on his way over."

"This should be good." Sydney turned and watched her father stalk over to their table. "Hi, Dad."

"What are you doing here with this bastard?" her father hissed. "Who might I add is supposed to have been dead for over two years now.

"I could ask you the same question, minus the dead part of course," she said nodding to where her mother was still sitting attentively watching and listening to this conversation. "Who I spend my time with is none of your business, Dad, if you can't even tell me that you have a relationship with Mom again."

"It's complicated, Sydney."

"Well, this is complicated, too." Sydney gestured back and forth from her to Sark. "I guess that means I don't have to explain it either."

"If you knows what's good for you, you'll come over to my table and sit with your mother and I."

"Honestly, Dad, I feel more safe right here. Unlike you, he always tells me the truth even when it hurts. I've needed someone to talk to over the past few months, and he was there for me. He understands. You weren't there. You were off, presumably, with my mother doing god knows what for god knows whom. What's happened to you?"

"Sydney, you'll have to trust me. Your mother and I are working to make your life a happier one. I can't explain anymore. But I want you to know that everything we're doing is for you."

Sydney sighed. "Fine. If you want to join the club of people who are holding the truth from me, then that's okay with me. Just don't rub it in my face that you know something I can never know. All the lying that's been going on is starting to make me uneasy twenty four hours a day."

"You name what you need me to do to make you feel more comfortable, sweet heart, and I'll do it."

"Leave," she responded.

"Excuse me."

"I'll feel much better if you and Mom weren't here. If you stay, I have a feeling I'll end up being worried about you or having to risk my life to save yours. I can't take that added pressure right now. I need to know that you won't make this whole thing harder for me. Something important is going to happen tonight if I can stay on top of my game. So, please, just take Mom and leave."

Jack nodded. "We'll leave, but I want you to call me on my cell phone if you get into any jams. You may be worried about having to save us, but don't forget I'm also worried that with me leaving, you'll have no one to watch your back.

"I have Sark." She stared defiantly at her father, daring him to challenge her.

"I can see that. Remember, I'm just a phone call away if you need me."

"Thank you, Dad."

Jack nodded one more time and walked back to his table. Sydney watched him fight with her mother for a few minutes, and then the couple left their table and walked out the doors Sydney and Sark had entered through.

"That's two less people to worry about," Sark said. "Good work."

"Thank you." Sydney scanned around the room. "Now I just have to figure out why Lauren Vaughn is here."


	56. Stuck

Sydney didn't have much time to think about the problem that Lauren was causing and the exact reason that she was present at this gathering. Simon Walker had chosen that moment to make his grand entrance. Sark came back from wherever he had wandered off to a few minutes earlier in time to see Simon nod at several different people as he worked his way to the front of the room. When he reached his destination, he scanned the room trying to gage which of his guests had neglected to show up.

"Well, it looks like most of you took my invitation seriously. Good. Because I have something that you all want. A few weeks ago, I came across some interesting information. You all know of the prophecy that Milo Rambaldi predicted in the book that the lovely Sydney Bristow stole from K-Directorate about three years ago, correct?"

The room bustled with the sounds of people whispering, clearing their throats, and trying to figure out what Simon Walker was hinting at.

"I'll take that as a yes. It seems that the CIA has cracked part of the prophecy and discovered an even more important prophecy. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The woman in Rambaldi's prophecy has been identified as Kaylee Derevko, the daughter of Irina Derevko and an American CIA agent, Jack Bristow. She also happens to be the sister of the previously mentioned Sydney Bristow."

Sydney grasped Sark's arm harshly as she felt him try to stand up. "Don't let your heart control your actions," she hissed. "He's not insulting Kaylee. He's just sharing information that we already knew. So don't try to be her knight in shining armor. Or at least wait until she's actually present."

"Therefore," Simon continued, "Kaylee is meant to have render the greatest power unto utter desolation. For years, most of us believed that to mean the woman in the prophecy was going to create or find a weapon that would be most useful. Or she was going to discover some information that will give her control over most of us present here tonight." Simon paused dramatically. "We were wrong. The prophecy should have been taken to a more literal sense. Kaylee was prophesized to provide the greatest power or the key to complete devastation. Of what? No one's sure of that."

"Get to the point, Walker," a gruff Russian man yelled from the back of the room.  


"Patience, comrade. Kaylee Derevko had a child two years ago. By doing that, she in a sense rendered a new life to existence. That child is the key to complete devastation."

Sark leaned over to Sydney and asked, "Did you know that?" She nodded and continued to stare at Simon through squinted eyes.

"That is why we're here tonight. This little kid just became the hottest property in the game. I have the location of where this child and mommy dearest are staying. Play your cards right and it will be yours." With that, Simon walked out of the room leaving everyone buzzing about where exactly this key was.

Sydney turned to Sark. "You realize this means that he has the address of Kaylee's home written down somewhere."

"All I'm thinking about is how much danger this whole thing is going to put Kaylee in."

"Let that go for now, Sark. Focus on the job we have to do. Simon invited you and I for a reason. There also had to be a reason why he wanted us to come together. I think I've figured it out. He's going to let everyone here try to figure out where he would have kept the location that we're all now seeking. So, it has to be in this building somewhere. I think he wanted you and I here to make it more difficult. There's no way in hell that we're going to let anyone come within ten miles of her." Sydney paused for a second and then screamed, "Shit!"

"What's the matter?"

"I shouldn't have sent my parents away. They were here to help us protect Kaylee. Now it's just you and me."

"Okay." Sark took a deep breath. "We're just going to have to figure out where this object that tells Kaylee's location is before anyone else does. While we're searching, we can try to figure out the answer to another obvious question."

"Which would be?"  


"If you, me, Irina, and Jack were the only four invited here to protect Kaylee, then why is Michael Vaughn's wife here?"

Realization dawned on Sydney's face as Sark pulled her to her feet and began to walk quickly in the direction that Simon Walker had left.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

A few minutes later, they discovered Simon Walker sitting by himself in what appeared to be an office.

"Sydney, Sark, I figured you would be the first two to find me," he said putting his feet up on his desk and reclining back in the chair. "You two were always the most promising spies out there. Funny that it took me to force you two to team up."  
  
"Don't flatter yourself," Sydney snarled in disgust. "If it hadn't been for you, Sark and I would have not only been friends, but we would have become family over two years."

"That's right. You were taking a dip in that gene pool, weren't you?" He smirked at Sark.

"Where did you write down Kaylee's location, Walker?" Sark snarled.

"Right here." He held up a piece of paper in his hand. Sighing, he stood up from his chair and began to walk over to the other two. About halfway around his desk, he paused. "Do you hear that?"

"What?" Sydney asked taking the bait.  
  
"I think we're about to have company." Simon smiled at her.

"Give me the paper, Walker. And I won't hurt you," she yelled. "Too much, that is."

Simon was about to make a comment back to her when the window behind him shattered. Before he realized what was happening, a woman was on top of him ripping the paper out of his hands. "Beautiful entrance, Ms. Espinosa."

"Hello, Sydney," Anna said as she stood up. "Looks like I'm going to be paying your sister a visit."

Anna bolted for the door and made it out before Sydney or Sark could process she was trying to escape. "We have to get that paper from her," Sydney screamed as they began to run after her.

Sark nodded and pulled a gun out of his jacket. "Being friends with a cold-blooded killer can be to your advantage at times."

The duo ran swiftly down the hallway right behind Anna. As soon as they got within range, Sark began firing his gun at her. Anna ducked into a room off the hallway, and Sydney followed. As soon as she entered the room, the lights went out.

"Looks like Simon's on my side," Anna said. Sydney pinpointed her location somewhere to her left and up a little. She took a blind swing at the air and wasn't surprised when she didn't connect with anything.

"Sydney?" Sark asked from the doorway. "Are you all right?"

Sydney chose not to answer. She was trying to concentrate on tracking Anna's position.

"I think she might have gotten a little scared of the dark and decided to hide."

Sydney listened closely to where Anna's voice was coming from and made her way slowly over to the right side of the room. She swung hard again and this time connected with a face. She grasped the person's arm tightly so they couldn't make a getaway.

"Sark?" she called.

  
"I'm still in the doorway, Sydney."

"Stay there. I have her, and she's not getting away." Now that Sydney knew she had Anna in her grip, she threw a knee hard into Anna's midsection and heard a satisfying groan. She whipped her around into a headlock and hissed into her ear, "Give me the paper and I'll let you go."

"I don't believe you. There's no way both of us are getting out of this one alive."

"My bet's on Sydney," Sark called from the doorway. "She has a nasty habit of winning. And I don't think you can really kill her. I mean, how many times have you come back from the dead?"

Sydney couldn't take the time to answer as she felt Anna begin to struggle to get out of her grip. She punched her hard in the face. Anna suddenly made herself into dead weight, and Sydney tumbled the ground. Before she could recover, Anna punched her hard in the temple. Sydney lashed out to get a grip on her again but was mad to feel just air all around her.

"She got away, Sark," Sydney yelled.

"I'm aware of that," Sark answered back.

The lights flicked back on, and Sydney saw that Anna had taken Sark's gun away from him and was holding it to his head.

"Looks like I got your boyfriend," Anna taunted.

"I'm not her bloody boyfriend. Why does everyone assume that I am?" Sark looked over to where Sydney was standing. "Syd, don't worry about me. My life doesn't mean anything. Just get the paper back from her."

"Oooo," Anna whispered. "Do we have a martyr here?"

Before either Sydney could make a move, Anna shoved Sark out of the doorway and into the room. "Bye bye for now!" she called as she slammed the door shut.

Sydney immediately ran to try the doorknob. "She locked us in."

"And there are no windows and no vents. We're stuck in a box."

"And she's going after Kaylee."


	57. The Truth

Sark kicked the door as hard as he could manage for the tenth time that minute.

"I've never seen you show such emotion," Sydney said. She was truly shocked that he was actually behaving like this upset him. He was the one who was supposed to be keeping his calm, and she was the one who was supposed to be erupting with emotions. 

"The woman I love is being hunted down by a person you've admitted to almost being your equal. Sydney, if she has half the talent you do, Kaylee is in deep trouble."

"But Kaylee is just as good as me. Anyway, they're going after her child. You'd be surprised at how much strength a mother whose child's life is in jeopardy can have. I've seen it in my mother's eyes a few times when she talks about Kaylee."

Sark slumped in acceptance of what she was saying. "I just wished we could get out of here." He began to look around the room for any sign of an escape route.

"There's nothing," she admitted. "We're just going to have to wait until someone realizes that we're locked in here."

The pair kept scanning the room in a silent agreement that they couldn't just sit still and let the situation play out. Sark started to feel behind paintings for some type of switch. He knew it was pretty unrealistic for him to find one, but there had been a couple times this tactic had saved him from a jam. After going all the way around the room, he turned his attention back to Sydney. He noticed that she had stopped searching through the desk she was sitting at. Instead, she was biting her nails in a surprisingly nervous manner.

"Don't tell me you're getting claustrophobic," Sark said. "Because that would just be an incredible cliché. Not to mention something that I don't want to have to deal with right now."

"No, I'm just thinking about something I have to do rather soon. It's going to piss my sister off so much, but I have to."

"You're sounding incredibly suspicious. And you're not making any sense."

Sydney just smiled weakly at him.

"I know something that will cheer you up," Sark said as he sat in front of her on the desk. "I bet at dinner you were wondering where I disappeared to those few minutes before Walker made his entrance."

"I was wondering at the time, but I think now I have more important issues on my mind."

"Well, you can forget those for the time being. It doesn't help to dwell on things you can alter or fix." Sark smiled deviously at his companion. "I had to place a very important phone call, and then I had a nice conversation with our 'friend', Lauren Vaughn."

"Really?" Sydney said. Now she was definitely intrigued.

  
"I found out a few things that will make you very happy."

"You figured out why exactly she was here?"

"It seems that it all has to do with your mother and father really."

"My parents are always mixed up in the events that affect my life the most. Why should this be any different?"

"Remember hearing that your parents, in their search for you, stumbled upon a list of higher ups in the Covenant?"

"Yes, that's what got my Mom her pardon. She and Dad gave the CIA information that they said would speed up their mission to destroy the Covenant like the Alliance was destroyed. To bad they couldn't have figure out that I was alive. Then I could have been found, and this whole mess wouldn't be happening." She threw her hands up in disgust.

Sark chose to ignore her little tirade. "Well, one of the more influential people on the list was the real reason they weren't acting on the intel. Now until they realized where the whole thing led to and who was involved."

"I suppose I should be pressuring you to get to the point, but we have a long while before someone finds us. So take your time. Beat around the point all you want."

He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, it was Senator Reed who your mother and father uncovered. He's been working with the Covenant for at least two years now. In fact, he's slowly become one of the higher officials in the organization."

"Lauren's father is a member of the Covenant?" Sydney knew that Sark had been building up to something that would be huge, but this was unbelievable.

"That's what I was talking to Lauren about. After the phone call to my source, I let her know that I knew her daddy wasn't exactly playing nice with the American government. I made it sound like I was going to blackmail her. Typical me behavior, you know. I figured she wouldn't get suspicious if I was behaving exactly as everyone would expect me to act. Then she asked me what I was doing here with you. Honestly, I wonder myself sometimes."

"She should know that I can't go anywhere without my worse half. It makes me look so much better." Sydney flipped her hair over her shoulder vainly.

He continued explaining. "I fed her some bullshit about using you to try to regain my footing in the spy world. I have to admit I still have the gift of being a good liar."

"And you're still a cocky bastard," Sydney said with a laugh.

"There was a particular bit of information I found out that I didn't tell Lauren. It seems Daddy isn't the only one working with the Covenant these days. Lauren Reed isn't exactly who she claims she is. She's not even Senator Reed's daughter."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Senator Reed's daughter died eighteen months when she was visiting family back in the U.K. The Senator kept her death extremely quiet for multiple reasons. The most important reason dealt with his workings within the Covenant. Seems they had been developing a body-doubling program that would allow people to completely assume the identities of others. They used that program on one of the Covenant's best spies."

"They made her into Senator Reed's daughter."

"And he went along with it. You want to talk about emotionless bastards. He's a hell of a lot worse than I ever was. He reintegrated his fake daughter into his political and personal life. And she got a job with the National Security Council. My guess would be her assignment was to infiltrate the United States government and act as a mole. It seems like she's been succeeding in it that."

"What I don't understand is if the government knew this why didn't they move on this information?" she asked.

"They did. Only it was in a different way than anyone would guess. It was all Dixon's idea. When your mother and father came to him with the information that Senator Reed was a member of the Covenant, Dixon figured that the infiltration of the CIA by the Covenant must go a little deeper than that. He decided to hold the information in hopes of discovering who else in our government was working with the Covenant."

Sydney nodded, urging him to continue. "The CIA received some intel on the Covenant's doubling operations. This was also kept silent at Dixon's request. At this point, he was beginning to suspect Lauren Reed was a traitor. This is where Vaughn factors in to the whole situation."

"He was caught up in this mess, too?"

"Of course he is. He did marry Lauren Reed." Sark paused. "Let's take a step back. Agent Vaughn has to have told you how he met his future wife."

"He briefly mentioned that he met her when he was doing his mandatory counseling."

"He did go through counseling to deal with your death, Sydney. He didn't lie to you when he said that it practically destroyed him. Vaughn was off active duty for six months in which all he did was go to counseling session after counseling session. By the end of that period, he had begun to pull his life back together. That was around the time that your parents brought the intel to the CIA. Dixon was beginning to put two and two together. He needed an agent to do some infiltrating for the CIA, if you know what I mean."

"So he picked the one agent he knew would have enough determination to want to bring down the organization that was now affiliated with Simon Walker."

"The agent who everyone was looking down upon because of his complete breakdown. Vaughn was the perfect candidate. He didn't have much left in his life, so he risked it all to bring Lauren Reed and her 'father' to justice."

"Weiss has been hinting about the fact that Vaughn and Dixon have been hiding something from me."

"Yeah, that would the sham he calls a marriage. He dated Lauren Reed and regained his status with the CIA. They saw the improvements he gained from the counseling and realized he was moving on with Lauren. Vaughn had discussed with Dixon previously that he was willing to go as far as need to get this assignment done."

"Which is why he went as far as marrying that monster." Sydney couldn't believe what Sark was telling her. She was almost too shocked to think clearly, but there was enough clarity present for at least one question to dawn on her. "How did you find out all this information in the few minutes that you disappeared?"

"I had my suspicions about Senator Reed before tonight. I had figured out most of the story from information I had received before my 'death' and from intel I've gathered since returning. The Lauren/Vaughn part was new to me, though. If I had known any of that, Sydney, you know I would have told you immediately."

"I know, Andrew." She put her hand on his shoulder to show her trust. "You've really shown me who you really are these past few months. I want to thank you for that."

"You're not going to get sentimental on me. Are you, Agent Bristow?"

"Of course. I'm a woman. It's what we do when we're trapped in rooms with no idea when we'll be rescued." He laughed. "Honestly, though, I want to tell you that I think your theory about me being a good you and you being a bad me might be slightly wrong. I think we're essentially the same person. We're both good inside. If you can't see that, you're just blind."

"I think that this whole trapped thing is getting to your head," he joked.

Sydney smiled at him. "You made my night by investigating the Lauren situation and then telling me what was going on."

"I know."

"So, I want to do something nice for you in return."

"If you're offering me your body, Sydney, I don't know if I'm in a position to say no."

"You jerk!" she yelled. "Can't you ever be serious?"

"Only with the people I don't care about."

"You remember I was nervous about something earlier?"

"There was a mention of something you had to tell someone that would piss your sister off completely."

"Well--" Sydney was about to tell him when there was a large knock on the door. Someone was screaming her name on the other side.


	58. Grayson

"Dad? Is that you?" Sydney yelled from her half of the wall.

"Sydney! I'm going to pick the lock and get you out of there," she heard her mother yell from the other side.

"Then you can explain to us what the hell is going on and how you ended up locked in a room," her father added.

After about thirty seconds, Sydney and Sark heard the lock click open. They threw open the door and rushed into the hallway. Neither would admit it, but they were both getting slightly claustrophobic. The office they were locked in really hadn't been that large.

"Are you all right?" Jack said, walking over to where his daughter was leaning on the wall.  
  
"I'm fine. We have to get to Kaylee though. Walker was auctioning off her location and the location of the child from the prophecy, aka Grayson, tonight. Anna Espinosa fought us for the piece of paper the location was written on, and she locked us in that room," Sydney explained.

"She's on her way right now to kidnap Kaylee and Grayson. So we have to keep moving," Sark insisted.

The foursome started to swiftly make their way out of the building. Sydney pulled her father back away from where Sark and Irina were walking.

"I wanted to ask you if you knew about Lauren Reed being a member of the Covenant," she whispered. She really didn't trust her mother that much and would rather this whole conversation not include her in any way.

"Yes. I don't know how you found out about that."

"Sark figured it all out. He told me while we were stuck in that room. He understood how bad I needed to know that Vaughn hadn't given up on me. Obviously, you didn't."

"I knew how much you needed to know about Lauren, Sydney. I just couldn't jeopardize the whole operation we had been working on for over a year just to give you piece of mind. You know the sacrifices we agreed to make when we took jobs with the CIA."

"I know," Sydney admitted. "Who else knew about Lauren?"

"It was just Dixon, Vaughn, Weiss, and I. We had to keep it secret if it was going to work." Jack chuckled. "The timing of this is incredibly ironic. Dixon had just agreed that it was time to take Lauren and her father into custody. We were going to bring them in tomorrow. Simon Walker's gathering has definitely put a damper in our plans. I can't focus on my job when your sister's life is in danger."

"I need you to focus on just that, Dad," Sydney instructed. "I need you to do that for me. Sark and I can handle the Kaylee situation. We're completely wrapped up in it, just as you are wrapped up in the operation to bring down the Covenant. We can't sacrifice that just to keep Kaylee and Grayson safe. I know that they're extremely important in the grand scheme of things. But it's the same reason you couldn't tell me the truth about Lauren. You need to go ahead as planned and bring them into U.S. custody tomorrow." Sydney looked up at her father. "Promise me you will."

"I promise," Jack said reluctantly. "But I want you to know that I'll still be right there if you need help with your situation."

"I know that, Dad."

The group reached the parking lot, and they all knew it was time to split up. They recognized that their missions were no longer the same. Sydney turned to her father and whispered in his ear, "Don't think I'm not going to want an explanation of the whole situation you have with Mom."

Jack nodded and grabbed Irina's arm to lead her to where he had parked their car. Sydney turned to Sark and motioned for him to follow her to their vehicle.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Sark was driving in silence along an L.A. freeway trying to get to Kaylee's house as soon as possible. He was hoping that Sydney would continue with what she had been about to tell him before Jack and Irina had interrupted them. It had seemed extremely important.

After another five minutes of silence, he decided that he was going to have to ask her. "What were you going to tell me before your parents freed us?"

Sydney broke out of the trance she was in staring out the window. She looked at Sark's face for a few moments and then started talking. "First, I want you to know I've wanted to tell you this, but Kaylee made me promise not to. And then I didn't want to tell you when we were trapped in the room because it would have doubled your frustration at being locked in that room."

"I'm going to remind you of something you said in that room. You said that we had all the time in the world to talk things through. But I also want to remind you that we're no longer in that room. So get to the point." He made a sharp right turn that squealed the tired of his BMW.

"You always assumed that since Grayson's last name was Tippin that my sister had had a child with Will, correct?"

"Of course."

"Grayson isn't Will's son." Sydney saw Sark glance over at her in confusion as he veered the car to the left. "This is a shitty time to be telling you this, but when she came back to L.A. with me, the CIA did some tests on her and realized that she was pregnant. They figured out the child she was caring would factor in to the Rambaldi prophecy."

"His prophecy spoke of a child?" Sark asked.

"The prophecy in the book you recovered from Antarctica and the one I stole from my mother's office, it talked of a child being the greatest power the woman in the previous prophecy would render unto this world. The child was to come from the purest of loves between a woman of a light heart and a man of a dark past."

"I don't understand what you're trying to tell me, Sydney," he admitted.

"That woman with the light heart was obviously my sister. She didn't have a worry in the world when she was with you, Sark. I've never seen anyone as happy as she was when she talked of you. I couldn't accept it at the time. But I think I understand where she was coming from now."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"The man with a dark past…" Sydney paused. "That's you, Sark. What I've been trying to tell you is that Grayson isn't Will's son or the son of some random guy that Kaylee meet after she thought you were dead."

"Are you trying to tell me…" Sark's voice faded out. He couldn't get himself to form the words he knew he needed to say.

"He's your son, Andrew." Sydney looked out her window again. "And he's in trouble."

Sark didn't say anything. He just pushed the accelerator to the floor.


	59. The Quicker Spy

Kaylee looked over at two of her favorite men who were currently napping next to her on the coach. She should have known when she saw someone had turned on cartoons that Will and Grayson would pass out almost immediately. It was hard to understand why cartoons did this to both a grown man and a two-year-old child, but it was amusing at the very least.

Sighing, she stood up and gently removed a sleeping Grayson from Will's arms, intending to take him to sleep in the bed in his room. Usually when he watched cartoons, it put him out for at least four hours.

Will's eyes popped open as the weight of Grayson's body was lifted off of him. "Hey," he whispered. "What are you doing?"

"I'm putting Grayson in his room. I'll be right back," she whispered back to him.

True to her word, a few minutes later she returned and took her seat next to Will on the coach.

"Cartoons again?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah. There's got to be something wrong with you two. Cartoons are supposed to be exciting. They aren't made to put you to sleep." She smiled at him.

"So have you talked to your mother lately?" he asked.

"No. I told her that I still loved her, trusted her, even missed her. But that was a lie. It's going to take a massive revelation to make me want her in my life. And then I'm not even sure if I want her in Gray's life."

"You still love her, Kaylee. I know you do. She's your mother, the one who raised you. You just can't turn that off."

"Can we talk about something else?" she asked.

He just stared back at her and suddenly got a more serious look on his face.

"What?" she asked.

  
"You want to talk about something else. Fine. What are we doing here, Kaylee? I mean, what is this really?"

She sighed lightly. "I know. This whole situation is so screwed up. I didn't mean to be such a large burden on you and your life, Will."

"Don't give me that," he said sitting up straight. "You know that neither you nor Grayson were ever a burden to me."

"I know. But sometimes I can't help but think that's exactly what we are and you just don't realize it." She paused for a moment. "We're holding you back from having a real life, Will."

"What if the real life I want is right here with you and Gray?"

"It's not. We both know that."

"Why can't it be?" Will was starting to get a little frustrated with where this conversation was heading, and he was also a little confused as to how it went sour so quickly.

"You're not Gray's father. We've always known that. Someday I'm going to have to tell him that. He'll be really confused, and I think it would just be easier if he didn't look on you as a father."  


"I could be his father if you would just let me, Kaylee." Will placed his hand lightly on her cheek and rubbed her face gently.

She couldn't help but lean in to the affection he was showing her. Affection was an emotion she hadn't seen much of in such a long while. She found her thoughts drawn to Sark as they were a million times each day. Wrapped up in these reflections, she didn't notice Will lean in close to her and press his lips delicately to hers.

Not thinking or more precisely thinking of Sark, she kissed him back softly but pulled back when she finally realized what she was doing. She was too embarrassed to look him in the eye.

"I know you're telling the truth," Will finally said.  
  
"You do?"

"I've kissed you before. Each time it's exactly the same. I feel the love you have for me, but there's no passion there. There never really was in our relationship. We've always just been friends who would give the world for one another, haven't we?"

"I think we always will be, no matter what changes. And you'll always be a part of Gray's life and mine. I don't think I can live without you anymore."

Will smiled at her. "I guess I'm just not destined to be with a Bristow woman."

"And you tried so hard," Kaylee said sympathetically.

"Don't patronize me, you heartbreaker you. I'm hurting inside right now."

"See?" Kaylee said pointing her finger at him. "If you really loved me and wanted to spend the rest of your life with me, you wouldn't be joking about it."

"You were right about that. I guess I just thought that we've been happy together for so many months now. It's been good. Really good. And I wouldn't mind staying like this for years."

"Neither would I. But it wouldn't be fair to you, and it wouldn't be fair to me, and it wouldn't be fair to Gray. You deserve to find a woman who you feel both passion and love for. You deserve to create a family with her. A family of children that can call you Dad and it would be the whole truth."

"I know," Will said softly. "But it's still going to be hard not thinking of Grayson as my son."

"You've played the father role with him so long. Of course it's going to be hard giving that up. I've always known that we should have had this conversation a long time ago. It might have hurt a little less if we had. But you'll always be a part of his life. He loves you almost as much as he loves me."

"But it's time that he loves Sark, too," Will admitted.

"Let's leave him out of this conversation," Kaylee said. "I should never have confided in you that he was alive and had come to see me. I knew you would bring it up at the exact moment I didn't want to discuss it."

"Yes, you should have confided in me like you did," he argued. "You needed to talk to someone about it. Someone who was more objective."

"Will, you're not an objective observer. Sark kidnapped and tortured you. You hate the guy. That definitely eliminates you from being objective."

"I detest him. That's true. But I've been around you so much that I would be lying if I said I still hated him as strongly as I once did. It seems to me that I don't really know all the complexities this guy has. And plus, if you loved him once, he can't be all bad. Because you are not the kind of person who would love an evil man."

Kaylee just stared back at him in defiant silence. She really didn't want to talk about Sark.

"And I think he does need to be mentioned. You still love him, Kaylee. You know you do. So why don't you just go tell him that? Make yourself as happy as you once were. He's alive, and he's out there. That should be enough to convince you to give it a second chance."

"It was so hard to find happiness the first time. I don't know if I have the strength to fight for it like that again," she answered truthfully.

"I know you have the strength. You're one of the strongest people I've ever known, and it's what you really want. And I think you wouldn't be the only person fighting for it. He still loves you as much as you love him. He wants you as much as you want him. Can't you see that by now? I mean, he made the effort to get Sydney to accept who he was. He saved her life in Cairo. That has to give you a hint towards how he feels about you."

"Honestly, I don't know why I tell you practically everything that goes on. It always comes back to bite me in the face."

"You're still avoiding the situation, Kaylee. Admit that he's who you really want to be raising Gray with you, not me. Then get off your lazy butt and make it happen."

Kaylee smiled at her friend. "Why are you always right?"

"It's a gift," he said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "Plus I've had years of practicing on Sydney."

"Where do I start?" she asked.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," said a voice from their front door. "But it looks like your little reunion with your lost beau is going to have to wait for a little while, maybe even indefinitely."

  
"Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?" Kaylee yelled. She was cursing herself for not having locked the door when she let herself into the house earlier.

"My name's Anna Espinosa. You can call me an acquaintance of your sister's. A business rival, if you must. I'm not here to cause you any trouble. I'll just run upstairs and kidnap your child and leave."

"Like hell you will!" Will yelled. He got up, not knowing what he was going to do, but knowing that something needed to be done.

Before he could register what was happening, Anna had drawn a gun and shot him in the arm. Instinctively, he grasped his arm to slow the bleeding as he lay on the floor where the gunshot had kicked him back.

"Your fist mistake was actually telling me you were here to kidnap my child," Kaylee said as she stood up. "Your second mistake was shooting my best friend. Your third, and largest, mistake was going for him first before you took me out. He's not the one you need to be worried about."

Anna started to shoot at Kaylee, but Kaylee managed to duck behind the kitchen counter. She scanned the kitchen for the signs of a weapon. Her eyes came to rest on a butcher's knife that was sitting in the knife block on the counter. Hoping that Anna wasn't that great a shot, she took her chances and stood up to grab the knife.

Anna let loose a few more shots, one which grazed the top of Kaylee's hand. She quickly ducked back down into her hiding position and wiped the blood off of her hand. Wasting no more time searching for weapons she would never be able to get to, she sprang up for her hiding position, vaulting over the counter in the direction of Anna.

A quick kick to the knee and then to the back sent Anna face first into the floor and the gun flying across the room. Anna recovered quickly and kicked Kaylee's feet out from under. Then she swiftly positioned herself on top Kaylee, effectively pinning her down. She leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Looks like your best friend is already passing out from loss of blood."

Kaylee turned her head and looked over at Will. He had passed out. His body was losing blood even faster now that he wasn't conscious to keep pressure on the wound. She knew Anna had pointed this out to make her feel like no one is around to help her out, but then Anna didn't know her. This only made her want to fight harder.

She turned her attention back to Anna and smirked up at her.  


"What?" Anna asked.

She was answered by a head bunt straight to her face. Grasping her head in pain, she fell off of Kaylee. Kaylee took the opening and proceeded to land a few more punches to Anna's face. Anna backhanded her rather aggressively, and Kaylee found the momentum pushing her over the back of the coach.

When she stood up, she saw that Anna had fully recovered and had pulled another gun out. Before she could think of how to disarm her again, she felt something pinch her neck. She put her hand up and yanked out a dart.

  
"That would be a tranquilizer. It should numb your body completely, but you won't lose consciousness," Anna informed her. "Fun, right? So, listen. I lied to you. I don't just need your son. I need you, too. So you just sit tight while I get little Grayson, and we'll be on our way."

Kaylee slumped onto the coach as she began to lose feeling in her legs and arms. She watched as Anna disappeared up the stairs. Knowing this is her last effort to get help, she tried to reach her cell phone which was sitting on the coffee table. Her arm was inches away from it, but the feeling had completely left her hand.

"Don't do that," Anna said as she returned with Grayson in her arms. She picked up the cell phone and put it in her pocket. "I'll be right back."

She walked out the front door and returned about one minute later. "We're going to have to take you out through the back door. I think a grown woman carrying another grown woman might alert the neighbors that something suspicious is going on."

Anna picked her up and made her way through the kitchen and out the back door. As she placed Kaylee in the back seat next to her sleeping son, she smiled. "Don't worry about Will Tippin. He's not going to die. Your sister and the love of your life will probably bust in there guns blazing a few minutes after we leave. See, they both knew I was on my way to get you. Looks like we know who the better spy is. Doesn't look like they're going to make it here in time to save you."

Anna started the car and pulled away from the house. She was surprised to pass a familiar BMW not even halfway down the street. "Good thing I remembered to find a car with tinted windows," she said with a laugh. She waved at Sydney and Sark knowing that they couldn't see her.


	60. The Start of a Plan

Sark pulled the car haphazardly into the driveway, and he and Sydney burst out of it full steam. They were hoping to just find Kaylee, Will, and Gray in the middle of another normal day. Both knew in the back of their heads and their hearts that this would not be the case.

Sydney started screaming her sister's name the second she walked into the house and saw it in complete chaos.

"Syd…" she heard a voice mumbled from somewhere to her right.

Turning she saw Will sitting in a pool of blood. She rushed to his side and inspected his arm. "Sark, you need to call 911. Will's been shot in the arm. He needs medical attention."

"Sark?" Will asked thoroughly confused.

"Don't worry. It's okay," Sydney said. She kept repeating that over and over because she didn't know what else to say. Her sister and nephew had been kidnapped. One of her best friends was bleeding to death on the floor. For the first time in a long while, she didn't know what to do.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Sark called to Sydney as soon as he saw the ambulance pull into the driveway. When he got no response, he walked over to where she was sitting with Will's head on her lap. She was softly stroking his face.

"Syd?" he said softly. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. It's just a little hard to comprehend."

Sark smiled down at her. "Here's what we're going to do. The ambulance is here. You're going to go with them. Instruct them to take Will to a CIA hospital. He's lost a lot of blood but I think he's in a stable enough condition that he can make it to the nearest one."

"No," Sydney said shaking her head. "You and I need to stick together. We have to figure out where Anna took my sister and your son."

"My son," Sark whispered as he opened the front door for the paramedics. "Why does that sound so right?"

Sydney grinned at him. It was nice to see that at least someone could be happy in a time like this. "I can't go with them."

"You will." Sark handed Sydney her cell phone. "Give your father a call. Let him know you're coming into a CIA facility. I'm going to stick around here and give this place a closer look. There might be something here that will help us."

"Promise you won't go running off to save her without me."  


"I will definitely call before doing that."

Sydney smiled and followed the paramedics who were wheeling Will out of the house on a gurney. She flipped through the numbers programmed into her cell phone and selected her father's cell phone number.

"Sydney," Jack answered. "What's the matter?

"Hi, Dad. Sark and I made it to Kaylee's house. She and Gray are gone. Will was shot in the arm, presumably by Anna. I'm in the ambulance on my way to the CIA facility near Kaylee's neighborhood. Sark told me that I should call and check in with you."

"I have my qualms about that man. But he does show extraordinary intelligence in high-pressure situations. I have some news that you should enjoy."

"What?" Sydney asked. It sounded like he was almost excited to tell her his news. That means it had to be big. Her father barely ever got excited about anything.

"I convinced Dixon to move up our raid on the moles we've uncovered in the CIA. Senator Reed is currently in a helicopter on its way to one of our holding facilities. Lauren Reed is downstairs in the holding cells we have here at the headquarters."

"That's great," Sydney said. She heard Will mutter something. "Hold on a moment, Dad." She pulled the phone away from her ear. "Did you say something Will?"

"Good guys?" she heard him whisper.

"Always," she said with a smile. She placed her right hand firmly in his and put the cell phone back up to her ear. "We're almost there, Dad. I'm going to go."

"Wait a moment, Sydney. There's something else you need to know. I have quite a few people here with me who want to help you out with the Anna situation. Including your mother and I."

"The more help, the better." Sydney said. She didn't want to admit it, but if her father was starting to trust her mother, some part of that had to be the truth. Her father had always hated her mother with a passion. If that changed, Irina must not be as horrible as the picture her father had built in Sydney's mind since she was six-years-old.

"There's something else you should know, Sydney."

"Isn't there always something else?" she said with a nervous laugh.

"I figured out what your mother's agenda really was. It seems everything she's done is just to keep her children safe from the Rambaldi prophecy. Every action of hers we've questioned was just to keep you and Kaylee safe. I lied to your sister."

"You lie to everyone," Sydney said calmly. "That's not a new revelation."

"No, I mean I told your sister that the only reason her mother got pregnant with her was that she was looking for a way to save you from the prophecy."

"You didn't!"

"I had to do whatever I could to get her away from Sark and Irina at the time. That was what convinced her to come with me to Los Angeles. I didn't know how huge a lie it was at the time. Your mother left you and I twenty four years ago because she knew that Kaylee wouldn't be safe with the CIA. She didn't trust them."

"They aren't really good on keeping their operatives and their families safe. As evidenced by every single thing they've ever done to screw up my life."

"She left you with me when she faked her own death because she knew she was pregnant. She figured that I could protect you and raise you so that the Rambaldi prophecy wouldn't affect you."  


"Newsflash, Dad. It's affecting me."  


"I know that. But you're a hell of a lot safer than Kaylee is right now. Your mother knew she was pregnant with the child that would probably be fulfilling Rambaldi's prophecy. That was the moment she dedicated her life to following Rambaldi's work. She just wanted to learn more about what was to come in her daughter's future."

"So this was all about a mother's love?" Sydney hoped out of the now parked ambulance as they pushed Will's gurney into the emergency room.

"She just wanted both of you to be happy."

"I'm going to have to think about that one for awhile. We're at the hospital, Dad. Round up all those people you said were eager to help us as quickly as you can. As soon as you do that, we can use one of the briefing rooms here at the hospital. I'll handle keeping Sark informed. When it's all set up, I'll tell him to meet us at the hospital."

"I love you, Sydney," her father said solemnly.

"I know." She snapped her phone shut, took a deep breath, and stepped into the hospital.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Sydney sat by herself in one of the hospital's empty rooms. She had left word at the front desk that anyone asking for her by name should be directed to this location. For the first week, she patiently waited for someone to show up. Will was in and out of consciousness. The doctors said the loss of blood was preventing a speedy recovery. Now he seemed to be making drastic improvements. He was on a normal sleep and eating schedule. Sydney was excited to finally be able to admit that he was going to be just fine.

Since leaving word at the front desk, she had begun to lose her hope that anyone was coming to help. It was nice that her father said people were interested in giving her a hand, but she really wasn't counting on anyone being much help. She figured that it would just be some new interns or something that had heard of her and wanted to get into the action. Ever since that day she had taken down SD-6 with the CIA, it seemed like she had become a legend. Which was just crazy because she was a normal person.

She appreciated that people wanted to help her, but this rescue mission was going to be dangerous. She and Sark were probably the only ones prepared enough to actually go in to do the physical rescuing. And at this moment she didn't want to have to deal with breaking a bunch of newbies hearts by telling them they weren't good enough.

"Syd," she heard someone say from the doorway.

She looked up at the last person she thought would be coming to help her. "Vaughn…" she whispered.


	61. Another Hospital, Another Confession

Sydney just stared at the man she loved with all her heart standing in the doorway of the hospital room. She didn't even know where to begin. How do you start up a conversation about what to do now that his wife is in CIA custody and the sham that was his marriage will be ending? Finally, she managed to blurt out, "I wasn't expecting you to be here."

He smiled at her. "When have I not been there when you've needed my help? Excluding the whole kidnapping, missing two years thing. It's part of the guardian angel job description."

She smiled shyly at him and broke eye contact. "God, I haven't felt like this since my days as a double agent," she whispered.

"What?" he asked, sitting down on the hospital bed next to her.

"Shy when I'm around you. I don't know what to say to you. I don't even know what I'm allowed to say to you."

"Sometimes words aren't needed, Syd." Vaughn slipped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "I want you to know that I never stopped loving you. Not once."

Sydney stayed still for a minute savoring the feel of his body against hers. But then she pulled away. "I want to know what happened. I want to hear it in your words."

Vaughn nodded. "I wasn't lying to you when I said that your death destroyed me. My whole world imploded on me. Dixon, he really is a good man. He pretty much saved me. Forced me to go to CIA counseling and then he gave me my job back. And then some. He showed faith in me that no one else was willing to give. He gave me the assignment to get closer to Lauren Reed. I had met her a few times through my counseling. She was doing a deposition about some NSC investigation on the same floor my psychiatrist was."

"So, Dixon asked you to get close to her."

"She showed interest in me romantically. I had nothing to lose. I knew that I wouldn't fall in love with her. I knew that I couldn't. Now when I still loved you so much that it hurt. So I went with it. I formed a completely false relationship with her. Half the time, I was in complete disbelief that she was buying the lies I was feeding her. Nothing in our relationship happened normally. I didn't even propose to her. She proposed to me."  


"No!" Sydney couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah. I said yes because I was still trying to gain solid information on her being an agent for the Covenant. And once again, you weren't alive so I had no reason to say no." 

"I understand."

"When you reappeared in Hong Kong, my heart tore in two. Because I thought you were gone forever, I had entered into a marriage that all of the sudden I would have given my life to get out of. Before I was sent to retrieve you from Hong Kong, I had a meeting with Dixon. He told me that there was no way I could tell you the truth about the situation with the Covenant and my marriage. It killed me to have to hide the truth from you."

"It killed me not knowing the truth." Sydney paused. "But Dixon was right. I wouldn't have been able to handle it at the time. He was right to want to wait until you had taken them into custody."

"It was hard, but I think I knew in my heart that he was right. Still, I really didn't want to go along with it. There were about a thousand times where I almost told you everything."

"It was hard on both of us."

"I think it may have been a little harder on me." As Sydney shot him a look of disbelief at what he had just said, he realized he needed to elaborate. "You see you didn't know what could have been with us. I did." He placed his hand on top of where hers was sitting on the bed without turning his head to make eye contact. "I was going to ask you to marry me."

"What?" Sydney looked over at him in confusion.

"Do you remember that one day I said that my mother was in the hospital and I had to go to Paris? It was over two years ago, so I don't know why you would."

"I remember," she said hesitantly.

"Well, the going to see my mother part was true. Her being the hospital wasn't. I was going to get this." Vaughn pulled a small box out of his pocket.

Sydney took the box from him and opened it slowly. Her mouth dropped open. "Is this what I think it is?"

"It was my grandmere's wedding ring. She told me that I was supposed to give it to the one woman I couldn't live without." Vaughn looked into Sydney's eyes. "That would be you, Syd."

She just continued to stare at him in disbelief.

"I was going to propose to you when you got back from your mission in Taipei. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Ironic is the theme of my life," she said softly.

"There's something else I want you to know. When I married Lauren, I bought a ring from the jeweler down the street from my house. I didn't give her this ring. Because I knew that it was yours, and no matter what happened, it would always be yours. I could never give it to another woman."

Sydney went to hand the ring back to Vaughn. "That is very sweet. Thank you for telling me that."

Vaughn looked down at her hand and then back up at her face. "Why don't you keep it?"

She tilted her head in a look of confusion. "You want me to keep it?"  


"I was hoping you would want to wear it," he said shyly. "I love you, Syd. It seems like I always have, and I know I always will. I'm so sure of this. I can't live without you. I think I've earned you."

"I'm a reward?" Sydney said with an eyebrow raised.

"You're the best reward I could ever think of." He smiled. "I want you with all my heart and soul, Sydney." He stood up off of the hospital bed and kneeled down on the ground. Taking the ring out of her hand, he held it out to here and said, "Will you marry me?"

"Of course I will," she said before the tears started spilling down her cheeks.

Vaughn sat down next to her again and wiped the tears away gently. "I'll always be here to wipe your tears away from now on," he whispered. He slid the ring on to her finger.

Overcome with emotion, she pulled his face to hers and gave him the kiss she had been storing up inside of her for months. After a few minutes, they heard a subtle coughing noise from the doorway. Turning towards the sound, Sydney saw Weiss standing in the doorway.

"I was trying to give you two some time to talk things out," Weiss started to explain. "But then Sark showed up, and he's kind of impatient. So are you done?"

Sydney went running into his arms.

"This is unexpected," he said.

"I think she's just a little overwhelmed right now," Michael said giving his best friend a wink.

"You gave her the ring, didn't you?" he said looking at Sydney's smiling face. "You are a smooth one, Michael Vaughn."

Vaughn just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Weiss laughed and called out into the hallway. "Let's get this meeting started, guys."

Sydney watched the rest of the group filter into the room. Both of her parents were in a deep conversation with Sark, presumably about Kaylee and what exactly had occurred in the past few hours. Marshall bumbled in after them with a massive bag of what Sydney could only guess to be tech stuff he had stolen for her. When he looked up at her, she mouthed a silent thank you and he just blushed. Last was a battered and bruised, wheelchair bound Will.

  
"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Will said to Sydney as the nurse wheeled him next to her.

Sydney walked over to her mother. "We need to talk," she said bluntly.

"I know," Irina replied. "Do you want me to explain?"

"I think I've pieced it together mostly. Dad seems to trust you. It's not going to happen that easily with me. I want to believe that everything you've done was for the benefit of me and Kaylee. But I can't just erase the ways you've hurt me."

"I understand."

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm willing to give you at least a little benefit of the doubt. I'm going to give you the chance to prove to me where your priorities really are."

"That's all I can ask." Irina smiled at her daughter. "Thank you."

Sydney looked at her mother for a moment. "You do know that this will definitely not be as easy as it was with Dad, but it's going to be twice as hard with Kaylee. She hates you more than you can imagine."

"I know that. She tried to lie to me and tell me that she missed me. A mother always knows when her children are lying to her. I know it's going to be hard. But I don't care. It's something I have to do."

Sydney nodded to her mother and took her place next to Vaughn again.

"Well, we have two extremely capable handlers, if I do say so myself," Weiss began, "the best tech guy at the CIA, a family of spies, a CIA analyst, and one very pissed off ex-boyfriend. I say we're in good shape."


	62. The Forming of a Plan

"Where do we begin?" Sydney asked.

"Irina, Sark, and I have been discussing it," Jack said. "We believe Anna Espinosa to be working for the Covenant. Sark received an offer of employment from them a few weeks ago."

"You didn't mention that to me," Sydney said narrowing her eyes.

"I didn't think it was important," Sark replied. "I would have told you eventually, Sydney. You know that."

"He mentions things to her?" Weiss whispered to Vaughn. "When did that happen?"

Weiss obviously wasn't whispering soft enough because Sydney could hear him clearly. "Eric, Sark's first name is Andrew." She almost laughed at the shocked look on his face as his mouth dropped open. "He's the man I've been running off to see for the past few months. And no, he's not my boyfriend. Though that was a good guess on your part."

Weiss's mouth began to open and close as he struggled to form a reaction.

"Can we move on?" Irina asked impatiently.

"I received a job offer from the Covenant. I always intended to turn them down. I've gotten close to Sydney these past few months. Together, she and I deduced what they had done to her for the two years she was missing. I would never have accepted their offer of employment if it weren't in both of our best interests. I may look and act like a monster in most of your opinions, but I could never stoop to such lows as the Covenant does. Believe that."

"So how is this going to help us?" Vaughn asked.

"Sark is going to get in contact with the Covenant and accept their invitation. He is going to explain to them that he knows they have Kaylee and Grayson," Jack informed them.

"I'm going to tell them that I'll do whatever they say as long as they let me see Kaylee and my son."

"Grayson is your kid?" Marshall practically shrieked. He noticed that no one else was having the same reaction. "And I was the only one who didn't know about this. Typical. Leave the lowly tech guy out of all the important classified information."

"Hey, I didn't know about it before today either," Sark said.

"It was all in Gray's best interest," Will said softly. "Kaylee wanted to decide if she was going to let you back into her life before she told you that he was your son. She didn't want to have to go through all of that if she wasn't even going to allow you to see him."

  
"Understandable." Sark did, in fact, understand the logic behind it, but that didn't mean it still didn't hurt to know that he might have never realized Grayson was his son. His child may have grown up without even knowing that his father was alive.

"She made her decision, though. Right before Anna interrupted us at the house. She was going to let you back in," Will continued.

Sark nodded his appreciation for Will's confession. He knew that it was hard for Will to be so civil towards him after their past history.

"Back to the plan," Sydney said. "I don't think that the whole Sark joining the Covenant thing is going to work. They won't believe that he would change his loyalties that easily. Even if he can use his skills at lying to convince them, it would take him forever to learn the layouts of the building. I honestly think we don't have that long a time to get Kaylee and Grayson out of there. Besides, we could be sacrificing one of the best assets we have, and I refuse to do that."

"What other options do we have, Sydney?" Irina asked.

"I used to be the best agent the Covenant had ever seen. That's why they wanted me so bad. They went to enormous lengths just to bring me to their side. Who's to say that I don't still have that agent somewhere inside me? I think that I have knowledge of the facilities the Covenant has. The brainwashing I had performed on myself doesn't seem to be as solid as I would have liked it to have been at one time."

"How is this going to help us?" Jack asked.

"I think they're holding Kaylee at their facility in Rome. I was based there for the majority of the time I worked for the Covenant. The floor plans are running through my brain as we speak. I can see the corridors and all the possible exits. I can tell you who works in what office. Their whole operation in Rome is like an open book to me. This whole time, the CIA has had an inside source to the Covenant, but because of the strength and determination most of you present, they haven't utilized me."

"It would have destroyed you if the CIA had pushed you for information," Vaughn reminded her. "We all knew that."

  
"And I'm glad they didn't. Because I avoided the trauma of that, I can remember things a lot clearer than I would have ever expected."

"So you're proposing what exactly?" Sark asked.

"I'm proposing we treat this like a normal mission. You, me, my mother, and my father go in. We're four of the best agents out there. There's no way that the Covenant can outsmart and outfight all four of us if we work together. And we have two of the best handlers the CIA has to offer, who both happen to be field trained." Sydney smiled at Vaughn and Weiss. "They can serve as our back-up. Marshall here will stay with them wherever I have our base set up. He can do some on spot tech work if we need him to. Will, as long as the hospital gives you leave, you can come with us to Rome. I don't know how much help you'll be, but I know you want to be there."

  
"Thank you, Sydney." Will smiled at her.

"How can you be so sure that Kaylee is in Rome?" Irina asked. "I don't really doubt your instinct, but if you're wrong… If she isn't there, we've wasted probably the only window of opportunity we have."  


"She's in Rome. Trust me. Simon Walker would never have given up the location of my sister to the other organizations. It's a known fact that he is a member of the Covenant. The Covenant would never let another organization get the upper hand on them." Sydney looked at her father. "That is why I also know that Anna Espinosa is working with the Covenant. The purpose of Simon Walker's gathering was to make every organization think that the Covenant had nothing to do with Kaylee and Grayson's kidnapping. He was there to give them a solid alibi. To keep the CIA from focusing on them when they realized that the two of them had gone missing. But the Covenant had absolutely everything to do with it. I saw Walker's face when Anna burst through the window and snatched the paper out of his hands."  


"He was expecting it," Sark said as realization dawned on his face. "He knew she was going to be there. He knew that she was going to get to him before we did."

"He turned the lights off in the building to help her escape," Sydney added. "Simon Walker is in Rome as we speak, I know it. It was his base of operations just as it was mine. Since he is so deep in this whole situation, they wouldn't take Kaylee to another facility. She's in Rome. So are Simon and Anna."

"Sounds convincing enough," Weiss said. "When do we leave?"

"Now," Will said. "The doctor told me that I could check myself out of the hospital as soon as I wanted. I asked him. He said he didn't recommend it, but he couldn't keep me here. I just need to sign the papers and we're gone."  


"Good," Sydney said standing up. She walked over to Will. "Will you do me a favor?"

"Anything, Syd."

She slipped the engagement ring off of her finger. "Hold this for me until I come back with my sister and nephew."

"Sure thing," Will said taking the ring. He looked over at Sark. "I've been holding another engagement ring for over two years now. Kaylee couldn't stand the sight of it, and she told me to get rid of it. But I couldn't. I knew someday she'd regret losing the one thing she cherished the most besides her son." He paused and then corrected himself. "Besides her son and you. I'll hold that ring until you come back. Then I think you should give it to her. She wants it back."

Sark nodded at Will. "Thank you."

"Let's go," Sydney said as she pushed Will's wheelchair towards the door. "We have two people who are counting on us to find them."


	63. Getting In

"Vaughn, are you there?" Sydney said softly as she and Sark made their way into what looked like a big corporate research center. In reality, it was an elaborate cover-up for the Covenant's main facility in Rome. The two of them were posing as a husband and wife team of engineers who were interesting in merging their small business with that of the Inganno Corporation.

"I can hear you, Syd," Vaughn's voice echoed back in her ear. "Too bad I can't see you. I hear the clothes your mother found you two are quite a sight."

"That's an understatement." Sydney looked down at herself. She was wearing an extremely sharp Dolce & Gabbana business suit, which consisted of black pants, a black halter dress, and a black jacket. Her mother had found her an amazing short red wig and a pair of transparent red sunglasses. It made Sydney look like she was indeed a part owner of an incredibly successful engineering corporation.

Her mother had outfitted Sark in the same fashion. He was wearing a Versace black turtleneck, knee-length duster, and black pants. The best part, in Sydney's opinion, was the fact that he had agreed to let her spike his hair and highlight the tips a bright blue. His whole image was a complete contradiction, a clash of punk and classy businessman.

"Are you ready, darling?" Sydney asked as she slipped her hand into Sark's.

"Let's do this," he said. Not missing a beat, he continued quietly so that only Sydney could hear him, "I know we're married and all. But I just want you to know that I plan on having an affair with your little sister."

"And I'm going to have one with our co-worker," Sydney said back with a little giggle. "So we're even." She knew that it might not be the most appropriate way to act, joking around like this when her sister and nephew were kidnapped. But she also had come to realize that Sark's strongest defense mechanisms were his complete indifference and his humor.

The couple walked hand and hand into the lobby of the Inganno Corporation. Sydney drew a paper out from her pocket and handed it to the receptionist. "James and Ripley Taylor here to see Mr. Mantovini," she said in a British accent.

Sydney had timed their entrance so that the receptionist was on the phone with a rather important client when she handed her the paper. Since the receptionist was so distracted, she just mouthed the words seventh floor to them and pointed in the general direction of the elevators.

"Thank you," Sark said. He placed his hand on the small of Sydney's back and directed her to the elevators.

Luckily, no one else was around so they were able to get the whole elevator to themselves. Sydney pressed the seventh floor button. As soon as they had reached the fifth floor, Sark stretched around Sydney to press the emergency stop button. Then, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a small disc shaped object. He placed it on the receiver of the emergency phone that was in the elevator.

"Marshall, can you hear my voice?" Sark asked into the newly place disc and phone receiver.

"I can hear you loud and clear." Marshall had programmed the disc to allow him to hear and participate in the conversations that occurred on the emergency phone. While Sydney and Sark were elsewhere, he was using some voice software he had picked up from one of his tech contacts to impersonate both of their voices and British accents. They wanted the Covenant to think that James and Ripley Taylor were stuck in the elevator for as long as they could.

Sydney threw the bag she was using as a purse on the ground and began to rifle through it. She pulled out a few canisters and handed them to Sark. Next she removed a small black pack. She handed it to Sark, lifted up her shirt, and turned her back to him. He fixed it onto her back snuggly and fastened the two Velcro strips securely over her abdomen.

Nodding at her, Sark crouched down slightly and put his hands together into a foothold. Sydney used that as leverage and pushed the emergency hatch of the elevator open. She pulled herself up on top of the elevator and then gave Sark a hand in joining her.

"There's the ladder I remembered. The Covenant has these in all their facilities' elevator shafts. It's a defensive precaution in case someone cuts the facility's power. The agents stuck in the elevators always has an escape route," she explained.

Both of them started to climb the ladder up until Sydney signaled down to Sark, who was below her, that they had reached their destination. Sark was surprised to see Sydney suddenly disappear from view completely. When he had climbed the ladder up to the level she had disappeared at, he realized that there was a door size opening leading into a hallway.

"This place is straight out of a high-tech, sci-fi movie," Sydney said holding out her hand to him. "There are hallways that end in dead drops and doors that lead nowhere. It's one of the many safety measures. It's rather suspicious when someone who's trying to pretend they are an agent of the Covenant can't make their way around the building or keeps opening doors that any agent would know leads nowhere."

"Where are we?" he asked as they started walking down the hallway.

"We're on the ninth floor. The Inganno Corporation's false offices end on the eighth. We're in the heart of the Covenant's operation. Try to look evil. We need to blend in."

"What are we doing here?" he asked.

"I'll explain in just a moment." Sydney stopped at an office door. She stared at the digital keypad for a moment and then punched in seven numbers. The door unlocked with a small beep from the keypad. "You think they'd change the codes when they lose one of their brainwashed agents."

Sark stared at the rather normal looking office. "Where are we now?"

"This is Simon Walker's office," Sydney said with a grin. "We're here to hack into the Covenant's mainframe and figure out where they're holding Kaylee and Gray."

Sark nodded his approval and watched Sydney begin to type rapidly on the laptop that was sitting open on the desk. She began to explain what she was doing. "I figure that my password into the mainframe system won't still be good so I'm just trying to hack a random agent's password. Once I have that I'll log in as them. Hopefully, he or she will have a high enough clearance for me to get the information we want."

"There," Sark said pointing to the right hand corner of the screen. "Looks like Lauren had access to this server. It's only right for you to use her as a gateway into the system. Then the Covenant will think that she's betrayed them to the CIA."

"You're right. It's only fitting." Sydney typed silently for a few more minutes. "Damn," she hissed.

"What's the problem?" rang Vaughn's voice in her ear.

"I see the location that would be my best guess at where they're holding Kaylee and Gray. I wasn't expecting to find any information that completely spelled it out. The Covenant wouldn't be that sloppy, no matter how confident they are getting. However, it looks like the Covenant's system can't be wiped from one of their secondary terminals." Part of their plan was to distract a good portion of the Covenant's operatives present at the facility by wiping clean the whole computer system. On their flight over to Rome, Will had helped Marshall create a rather nasty virus to do the job.

"Do you have a backup plan?" Sark asked her.

"Yes, I think I do." Sydney began to type on the computer again. "Vaughn? I need you to tell my mother and father to get suited up. I'm sending you a location of where I want them to go. I need them in this building if we're going to be able to pull this whole rescue mission off. Sark and I will meet them at the provided location. Get them wired up with Weiss. He's going to have to monitor their progress while you stick with Sark and me."

"Got it, Sydney," Vaughn answered.

Sydney shut the laptop and turned to Sark. "Looks like we need to get back down to the first floor."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Sark was amazed at the massive amount of knowledge Sydney had begun to recall about the Covenant and their operations. When they left Simon Walker's office, she had quickly led him down a few corridors to a door that opened right into a staircase. She had made some crack about the Covenant being a fan of M.C. Escher, and then they were rushing down eight flights of stairs.

Before she opened the door that would lead them out to the hallways of the first floor, she turned to Sark, "We're going to have to blend in with everything around us. The Covenant cannot realize that you and I are in this building."

"Understood," Sark said with a curt nod.

Sydney walked through the door and began to blend herself into the steady stream of people walking up and down the hallway. Sark waited a moment and then followed her.

They walked for about five minutes, just following the stream of people, before Sark saw Sydney suddenly dart into a room. He followed her lead and found himself in what appeared to be a test site for some biological weapon.

"These are some of the labs the Covenant keeps up to enforce their cover story. They actually have been doing some good work with genetically altered foods," Sydney explained. She walked to the back of the lab to a door that was marked 'Emergency Door. Alarm will sound if opened.'

"Is it wise to open that?" Sark asked as Sydney pushed on the handle. No alarms rang.

"They like to keep their employees locked up inside the building. It's just a scare tactic." She peered out the door she had just cracked slightly. She could see her mother and father making their way over. "They're out there."

Sark grabbed a screwdriver off of the table next to him and put it into the crack of the door. "Let's step back. If we're not in the line of sight, it should make their entrance into the facility look a little less conspicuous."

They stepped over to the side and a minute later, Jack and Irina were standing next to them.

  
"Explain what you need us to do," Irina said smiling at her daughter.

"Sark and I don't have time to create our own distraction and make it down to the second sub-basement to free Kaylee and Grayson. So we need you to go down to the first sub-basement. When you get there, there should be a room with the main Covenant computer. I sent Vaughn a map of the sub-basement I pulled off Walker's laptop, the codes that should open the door, and the information you'll need to log on to the system. You'll probably have to deal with a few armed guards. That shouldn't be that much of a problem. First I want you to download as much information as you can off of the Covenant computer. We're in a very opportune position, and I won't leave until we've utilized it. Only after that do I want you two to wipe the system like Sark and I originally intended to do. Once that's done, unless Weiss tells you otherwise, get as far away from the facility as you can."

Jack nodded at his daughter and turned to leave. Irina didn't follow him. Instead she stepped closer to her daughter and looked closely into her eyes. "You remind me of myself, Sydney."

"As much as I hate to admit it, I am your daughter," she said through clenched teeth.

"Everything I ever did was to keep you safe," Irina continued. "To teach you the skills I knew you need to survive. I hope that someday you can forgive me for what I've done."

Irina turned and left Sydney staring at her back as she walked away.


	64. Pain

"Let's go," Sark said gently touching Sydney's shoulder. "We have a job to do. You can figure out Irina later."

Sydney nodded at him but still kept that far off look on her face. Sark grasped her hand and practically dragged her out of the room. "We're out in the open now, Syd. I need you to stay with me."

"Okay." She scrunched her face up in concentration. "This way."

She led him back to the elevator lobby they had originally been in the first time they were on this floor. Instead of pushing a button and waiting for any of the elevators, she opened a door marked Maintenance. What was inside didn't have anything to do with maintenance.

The room was about the size of a phone booth. Straight in front of them were an elevator door and a keypad. Sydney punched in some numbers swiftly, and the door slid open.

"Explain," Sark said as they stepped into the elevator.

"The sub-basements are the location of most of the top secret actions of the Covenant. It makes them incredibly hard to get to. This is the more obscure entrance. I sent my parents to the one that is easier to access. Figured you and I are young. We can handle a challenge."  


"So we're on our way to the sub-basements. Where to from there?"

"Let's cross that bridge when we get there." Sydney heard something crackle in her ear. "Vaughn?" she asked.

There was no response.

"Our ear pieces aren't working," Sark said as he realized that he couldn't hear Vaughn either.

"It must be a security feature I didn't know about. There must have been a frequency blocker somewhere on the way down to the sub-basements."

"Will the feed come back when we reach the second sub-basement?"

"I don't know," Sydney admitted. Suddenly, she got a confused look on her face. "This elevator ride has taken an awful long time. A lot longer than I would have thought."

Finally, the elevator doors slid open revealing a man with his back to them. Sydney recognized him immediately. "Oh no."

"Miss Bristow, you haven't forgotten me," Simon Walker said as he turned around. Noting their bewildered faces, he added, "Don't tell me you thought you were actually being sly. The Covenant has known you were here since the second you got into the elevator."

Sark couldn't help but laugh out loud. 

"What is so funny, Mr. Sark?" Simon asked.

"You are a bloody moron. That's what is so funny." Sark smirked at him. "We've been in this facility a lot longer than you think."

"Oh. Good to know." Simon motioned for a couple of the men who were standing off to the side. "Tie these two up. And do a good job about it."

Sydney was pushed up against the wall by one of the men, and she could feel him wrapping some sort of rope tightly around her wrists. When she was turned back around, she saw they had done the same to Sark.

"Don't you think you're being a little overzealous in the tying?" Sydney asked. "I mean why don't you just tie us back to back like they do in the movies and get it over with?"

"I like that suggestion," Simon said with a devious grin. "Do it," he ordered his men.

Sydney winced as her already rope burned hands were jarred. Within seconds, her tied up hands were tightly secured to Sark's. The duo was ushered to a nearby cell where Simon said they should make themselves at home.

Sydney flinched as the door was slammed shut behind them. She waited a minute before muttering, "He really is a bloody moron. He actually captured us and then left us with an opportunity to form a plan and escape." She tried to look over her shoulder at Sark. "The pack, Sark."

"Do it," he said forcefully.

Sydney took a deep breath. "I follow my instincts when I'm on a mission, Sark. You know that."

"What are you trying to say? And why are you trying to stall?"

I'm not stalling," Sydney said viciously. That was when Sark knew she was trying to tell him something extremely important. "Listen, I don't think both you and I are going to make it to where Kaylee's being held."

"How the hell can you know that?" he practically screamed. Calming down considerably, he added, "You and I are the best spies this world has to offer right now. We're both going to make it out of this one alive. And that's my gut feeling."

Sydney opened her mouth to say something else, but Sark interrupted her. "Listen, Bristow. We're not going to die. Stop trying to stall. It's time to use that nice pack that Marshall gave us."

"Are you sure?" she asked. The hesitation was thick in her voice.

"Positive. We knew that this might happen when we were planning out this operation. I can take the pain if you can."

"All right." Sydney moved her hands, and consequently Sark's, up to the middle of her back. She fumbled to lift her shirt up, and when she finally did, she was happy to still feel the small black pack secured tightly to her body. "Brace yourself."

Sark felt a sharp pain in his back as Sydney unhooked the latch that was holding the CIA device to her body. It had specifically been designed as a last ditch effort to cut an agent's bonds. Before giving it to Sydney, Marshall informed her that the pain would probably be a lot worse than she could imagine. He was quick to tell her to make sure she pointed the pack at the wall. The brunt of it would be absorbed, and it would decrease the pain inflicted upon her greatly. Tragically, Sydney wasn't up against a wall. She was up against Sark.

The small blades that were as sharp as razors cut into Sark's back and stayed there. Sydney ignored his growls of pain and lifted their arms up to where the blades were sticking in his back. She heard her partner give a small cry of pain as the movement shifted the blades slightly.

"Are you all right?" she whispered.  
  
"I'm fine. Just get it over with."

Sydney began to rub their bounded hands against the razor blades. Because of their position, it normally would have been hard to guess if the blades were even cutting the rope. However, she could feel them cutting through her hands and arms, so she figured that at least every once in a while they must be cutting through ropes.

Sark cried out a little in pain again, and Sydney realized that if she was cutting her hands and arms, she must have been cutting his as well.

Thankfully, the rope snapped, and she pulled away from his back. Turning around, she saw the extent of the damage and almost passed out. His whole back looked like it had been thrown through a grinder. She knew he would bear scars from this for the rest of his life.

"You did me a favor once," Sydney said as she gently ran a hand over his face. He had fallen face down onto the floor when the rope broke. "I'm about to return it. And for that, I'm sorry."

Sydney rammed her bloody right hand hard into Sark's temple. He lost consciousness almost instantly. She got to work pulling out the razors from his back. When she got the first one out, she was glad that she had knocked him unconscious. The razor blades, so they could stick into a wall or other surface, had a rounded hook on one end. Sydney was almost afraid that she was doing more damage taking them out than what had happened when they had gone in.

She stopped a moment to get her bearings and then proceeded with her difficult task.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Sark felt himself slowing pull his mind and body back to the real world. He realized that he was lying on his stomach on the floor of what was probably the same room that Walker had thrown him and Sydney in. He could feel the throbbing pain in his back and arms, but the only thought on his mind was why did she hit him. "Syd…" he mumbled.

"I'm right here, Sark." He could feel her hand rub the back of his neck.

"Why the hell did you hit me?"

"Because of this." Sydney lifted Sark up into a sitting position, careful of where she placed his back. She held up one of the razor blades for him to see.

"Oh," he said. "Thanks."

"Anytime you need it, you know I'll be there to knock you unconscious." Sydney looked him over. "Are you going to be all right?"  


Sark tried to stand up and felt his head explode in pain. He winced and leaned back against the wall, but he didn't sit back down again. "I'll be okay in a moment. I can work through the pain."

Sydney held out her left arm for Sark to lean into. "Someday you and I are going to live in a world where we don't have to say we can work through the pain."

"If we pull this off, it just may happen sooner or later." Sydney helped him hobble over to the door. "Isn't that door locked?" he asked.

"I utilized the time you spent unconscious. Did a little lock picking with my last birthday present from Marshall." Sydney pulled out two of her bobby pins from her hair. Sark saw that they were cleverly disguised lock picks. "They come in handy."

Sydney pushed the door open and helped Sark out of their temporary prison. By the time they had reached the end of the hallway, Sark had managed to push off of Sydney and start walking on his own. Granted he was still wobbling and had to stop a few times to lean against the wall, but he made it to the other end walking by himself.

He was thrown when Sydney stopped and threw her hand up to her right ear. "What's wrong?"

"My ear piece is working again," she said. "Vaughn, can you hear me?"  


"Syd!" His voice was thick with worry. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, Sark and I are both fine."

"You had me worried. The last time my comlink to you died, you disappeared for two years and both our lives went to hell."

"Isn't going to happen again," she answered confidently. "Sark and I had a little run in with Simon Walker. He momentarily captured us, but you know there isn't a prison that can hold me."

"Great."

Sark tried to figure out what was happening on the other half of Sydney's conversation. Either his earpiece hadn't gone back online or Sydney had hit him a lot harder than she intended and he was now deaf in one ear. He was going with the ear-piece-not-online theory.

Sydney turned and smiled at him after he heard her thank Vaughn.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Seems like my parents held up their end of the operation and then some. They made their way to the main computer and extracted as much information as possible. It was lucky I sent them in because Gray's location was changed a few hours ago. He's no longer being held with my sister."

"We have to split up, Sydney. We don't have time to go save one and then get the other."

Sydney got an I-know-something-you-don't-know smile on her face. "That won't be a problem. Grayson was being held in the same hallway where the main computer terminal is positioned. My parents wiped the computer's memory and picked him up on their way out of the building. All three of them are sitting with Weiss and Vaughn right now."

"So our goal is half accomplished."

"Sark, do you remember what I said about both of us not making it to Kaylee?" she asked hesitantly.

"You're not getting all fatalistic on me, Bristow," Sark said with fire in his eyes. "Not now, not ever. Both of us and Kaylee are going to make it out of this one alive."

  
"Oh I know that," she replied. "I was just trying to say earlier that I think one of us might have to hang back to create a distraction."

"Why didn't you just say that?"

Sydney smiled at him and began to explain where the computer had said Kaylee was being held. They weren't that far from it. The couple rushed through the hallways, no longer concerned with keeping a low profile, and Sydney continued to inform Sark. Just as she was finishing telling him the codes that should open Kaylee's prison door, they heard someone clear his throat behind them.

"Seems to me that this operation was a lot bigger than I thought," Walker said. "Word is that Spy Mummy and Spy Daddy were here too."

"Nice choice of words," Sydney said with a smug smile. "They were here. They're not anymore. Lucky for you, we still are. Two lefts and then a right, Sark." Sydney winked at him.

He laughed and walked towards Simon. When he was shoulder to shoulder with him, he leaned over and whispered, "Hell hath no fury like a Bristow woman. I would wish you good luck because you're probably going to need. But truth is I've always thought you were a prick. And you sort of pissed me off when you sent you sent your little woman to kidnap mine. So, I'm going to do you a favor."

Sark made a move to continue walking away from Simon but changed his mind. Instead he punched him hard in the face. He wasn't surprised when Simon hit the floor and didn't get up again.

"Sorry, Syd," he apologized.

"I was really itching for a fight," she replied.

"You'll still get one," said a voice from behind her. "And by the way, Mr. Sark, I'm not his little woman. It was the other way around."

"Go. Now," Sydney said harshly as she turned to face Anna. Sark obeyed her command and left her and Anna in a stare down.


	65. An Old Friend

Sydney stared Anna down as they began to circle around one another. "I've been waiting for this for a long time," Anna said.

"I aim to please," Sydney said as she took a halfhearted swing at Anna's head. She wasn't surprised to watch Anna duck out of the way in plenty of time. Hitting her wasn't the goal right now. Sydney was focusing on sizing her up and deciding what it was going to take to win this fight.

"Syd, what's going on?" Vaughn's voice rang through her earpiece.

  
"Can't talk right now. I'm getting reacquainted with an old friend. I'll fill you in when I've kicked her ass."

Taking full advantage of the distraction Vaughn caused, Anna kicked at Sydney and struck her square in the chin. Sydney was propelled back into the wall but swiftly recovered. She kicked Anna right back in the stomach.

"You really piss me off sometimes," Sydney said as Anna shook off the blow.

"Same here." Anna made a move to slam her fist into Sydney's head. Sydney blocked her and knocked her feet out from under her at the same time.

"Bet that pissed you off," she said as she backed up. She didn't want to end this fight quickly. Anna need to stay occupied until she was sure Sark had had enough time to save her sister.

Anna glared as she stood up. She subtly reached into her pocket and grabbed something. With Sydney momentarily distracted by her thoughts, Anna was able to fling the small knife at her face.

Sydney felt a small pain on her right cheek and put her hand up to feel it. Her hand came away with blood on it. The wound wasn't that deep, though. "Was that supposed to stop me?" she asked.

"No," Anna replied. "Only slow you down."

Sydney felt her head start to spin a little, and her body started to feel really heavy. "You drugged the tip of that knife? Nice touch."

"I thought so," Anna said as she punched Sydney a couple times. "It also conveniently severed the link to whomever you were talking with before."

She held her hand up to her ear. The knife had nicked the part of the earpiece that was sticking out slightly from her ear. She couldn't hear Vaughn's reassuring voice anymore. Hopefully he would trust her to make it out of her alive. They were so close to accomplishing their objectives that she'd really hate to have it ruined now.

Sydney took a few more punches and then kicked her opponent in the side and used the momentum created by her kick to fling Anna into the cement wall. She heard the crunch of bones breaking and saw Anna wince in pain.

"I've been waiting to hear that sound since Mount Aconcagua."

"Oh?" Anna said through her pain. "You didn't appreciate when I kicked you up the ladder and left you for dead?"

"That was your mistake. You should have made sure I had stayed dead." Sydney gave her a hard uppercut. "I have a bad habit of coming back from the dead. Ask everyone." She threw another few punches before the effort of movement with the combination of whatever drug Anna had sent her way made her black out slightly. Seizing the moment of weakness, Anna kicked her effectively sending Sydney sailing into the wall.

She fell into a heap at the bottom of the wall. The blow had stunned her so much that she could only helplessly listen while Anna strolled over to where she was laying. She felt a hard tug on her hair as Anna grabbed her hair viciously and picked her up.

"You're slipping," Anna whispered in her face. She had Sydney pinned up against the wall and was holding her hands against her throat.

"Wait," Sydney whispered in a small, defeated voice.

"Want to beg for mercy?" Anna asked, smirking slightly.

"No, I just wanted to tell you that we're really sisters. Seems my father really got around back in the day."

Anna looked at her in confusion. Sydney took the moment of opportunity to smile wickedly at her opponent right before she headbunted her as hard as she could. Anna collapsed into a pile, unconscious.

"Idiot," she muttered. As she walked away from her fallen adversary, she called, "I learned that one from my sister. Remind me to thank her when I see her next."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Sark ran through the halls trying to desperately remember if it was two rights and then a left or one right and then one left. Or maybe it was two lefts and then two rights. Normally, he would never make a mistake like forgetting directions in a mission. The possibility of what would happen if he screwed this up was overpowering all his senses, making him a lot worse at what he did.

Sighing, he hoped he remembered correctly and took the next left.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Sydney made her way through the front lobby of the Inganno Corporation, exiting the same way she entered. If her mental concept of time was pretty accurate, she expected to see that everyone had made it to the van slightly. She had meant to defeat Anna in a little less time than it had taken. So that meant there was no way that Sark wouldn't have rescued her sister already.

There were people running everywhere in the front lobby. "Guess Mom and Dad did an amazing job of screwing up their computer system," she thought to herself. She tried to walk slowly and stay inconspicuous; though her battered and bruised body might give her away.

She noticed that there was a person standing in front of the main door with his arms crossed, scanning the crowd. The drug Anna has poisoned her with was still doing a job to her system so she was unable to focus on the person's face. "That's strange," she thought to herself. "Everyone else is panicking, and this man is just standing calmly at the door. No care in the world. How the hell am I going to get him to move?"

"Ms. Bristow," the man said turning to look at her. "Sydney."

She still couldn't make his face get into focus, but she would know that slimy voice anywhere.

"I should have known you'd have something to do with this, Sloane," she hissed.

"You can stop trying to act tough, Sydney," he said. "I know that Anna drugged you. Don't try to pretend you're in any condition to fit me."

"But I am," said a voice with a thick Irish accent that Sydney placed to her right. She saw this second person, or rather blob, hit Sloane squarely in the jaw. As soon as he hit the floor, her rescuer was slapping a pair of handcuffs onto his arm.

"Hello, Syd," the man said.

"Who are you?" she squinted her eyes but the face didn't come into focus any better.

"You don't recognize my voice?" the man asked. "We worked together for two years to bring down the Covenant." The man paused. "If I tell you, will you promise not to hit me?"

"I promise. I won't hit you until you have time to explain why I would want to hit you."

"My name's Colin Meyer. But you know me better under another alias. Simon Walker."


	66. The Complete Story

"You have two seconds to explain before I kill you on this spot, Walker," she snarled.

"Don't bluff, Syd. I can read your facial expressions like a book." Simon put a hand on her shoulder, which she quickly shrugged off.

"Don't touch me," she said very carefully with lots of anger.

"Listen. We need to get out of here. Your friends will be expecting you. I'll explain everything and give you Arvin Sloane to take into custody if you'll just leave with me."

Sydney nodded. "I'll just warn you, though. This drug should be wearing off soon. When that happens, all bets are off."

She felt Simon gently guide her to the door. Once she was outside, she saw him quickly duck back into the building and out again.

"I had to get Sloane," he explained.

"So, what were you saying about us working together for two years?"

"Your missing two years, to be specific. I'm going to try to fill you in as much as possible. But honestly I don't know how much of what went on that you already know. Some of this stuff may be a little shocking to you."

"I can take it. And let's assume that I don't know anything."

"I'm an agent of MI5. I have been since I was twenty. Born and raised in Belfast. I was always a loner. Couldn't really keep a partner. Almost lost my job a few times because of it. I got transferred to a more radical division. It was a section of MI5 dubbed Project Oceana. There are only two people out there who know of its existence and aren't a direct participant in the project. It was very hush hush."

"That's nice. What does this have to do with me? You should get to the point because my vision's starting to clear up already," Sydney said.

"I was given a deep cover assignment for the Ocean Division because I didn't have any attachments in my personal or professional life. Actually, it's more like I couldn't form personal attachments. There was a girl once that I dated for a few months." Simon paused, lost in his thoughts.

"Must have been some girl if she can still send you into a daze now."

"She was. We had a whirlwind kind of romance, but she was way too young for me. And I knew that I wasn't anything special to her. I was undercover, using my Simon Walker alias in fact. I was stationed in Paris trying to infiltrate one of their crime syndicates. I met this girl. She saw me in my bad boy persona, and I think she decided to use me to make her mother mad. Her mother was really protective of her."

"Does this perfect girl have a name?"

Simon laughed. "Yeah. Kaylee."

"Kaylee?" Sydney asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, it was your sister. First time you meet one of you Bristow women, you remember it. Can't say I made a huge impact on her life so I wouldn't imagine she would put two and two together."

Sydney thought back. "Actually when I first mentioned you to her, she said you sounded familiar."

"Wow. Guess I wasn't that bad." He paused. "Moving on in the story of our time together. I infiltrated the Covenant by doing exactly what my superiors at the Oceana Division told me to. All I had to do was take a CIA agent they had deemed expendable and sell them to the Covenant. That would get me in the front door."

"The government of the United Kingdom had me kidnapped? They thought I was expendable?" Sydney realized that Simon had been right. She was shocked at what he said, and she definitely wasn't about to believe the bullshit coming out of his mouth.

"I know it sounds far fetched. But my superiors thought that having someone inside the Covenant would be more important than your life. It's hard to hear. I realize that. I'm not proud of what I did to you. I hope you believe me when I say that I did make it up to you."

"So, you kidnapped me? Then what?"

"I was told to sell you directly to the Covenant. That was my mission. But I almost didn't accomplish it. I was having second thoughts so I did the only thing that wouldn't be suspicious. I called your mother, Irina Derevko, and offered for her to buy you from me. I would have let her, too, but my superiors got wind of my phone conversation while it was in progress. Let's just say that they interrupted the negotiations."

"You tried to sell me to my mother? I'm supposed to believe this?"

"Ask her. She'll confirm it." Simon gently nudged Sydney so that she veered to the right slightly. "We're going to have to cross a few roads now. I may have to touch you to keep you from getting run over." Sydney glared at him. "Anyway, I sold you to the Covenant. It took them six months to break you. Only they never really did."

"What did they do to me?"

"They tried the conventional way of breaking you which didn't work, of course. Then they decided to do a more drastic procedure. They altered your memories so that you would believe you were a free-lance assassin named Julia Thorne. I was a part of the team doing the brainwashing. I convinced the doctors to give you a memory of me. That I was your partner on quite a few missions. I made you think you trusted me greatly. It was the only thing I could think of to do to save you. I never wanted to see you turned into a monster."

"Comforting," she said. She heard Sloane groan from where he was positioned over Simon's shoulder. "Let me do the honors." She punched him hard in the head.

"Once you had accepted the Julia Thorne identity, we became partners. I was with you in Berlin. I personally rigged the explosives that collapsed St. Patrick's Cathedral. You trusted me."  
  
"Why?"

"Because I was the only one who was telling you the truth. After our first few missions, I told you that your name wasn't really Julia Thorne, but it was Sydney Bristow. I explained your whole life to you and what had happened. You didn't believe me but you were intrigued. I was counting on that. It made you want to keep me close by, especially when I told you I could get proof. Which is why the whole time when we were away on missions together, I was slowly bringing back the memories of your previous life."

"That was what you meant by making it up to me." She couldn't help but admit she was starting to believe what he was saying. It was a very convincing and detailed story.

"The Covenant began to notice that your brainwashing seemed to be wearing off. That was because I was deliberately taking it away. They gave you a solo mission that I didn't find out about until it was too late."

"That was when they sent me to burn down Francie's restaurant with her inside?"

"Yes. I managed to find out discreetly. So I asked for some vacation time since my partner was otherwise occupied. They granted it to me and I was on the first flight to L.A. I was able to stop you before you set the place on fire. I explained who Francie was to you. Together we waited until the restaurant closed that night. Then we set fire to it. It was a necessary thing to do. The Covenant needed proof that you were at least willing to kill your friend, even though the timing was wrong."

"Then I went to Geneva, right?"

"You never went to Geneva, Syd. After we burned down the restaurant, you got on the first plane back to Rome. You returned to the Covenant."

"Sark had intel that said I went to a doctor in Geneva to get my memories back."

"That was our cover-up story. Since, obviously, when you went back to the CIA I was still undercover, both of us knew we couldn't let you remember me and who I really was." Simon stopped walking when they reached a parking garage. "I have a car parked in there. Are you comfortable enough to get into a car with me?" 

"Yes. I'll trust you at least that much. But my family and friends aren't that far away."

"I'm just going to drive us around until I've explained everything to you. Is that okay?"

Sydney thought about it. She knew that her being missing would worry everyone, but they had all agreed on certain rules. If a person was went missing, you held your position for three hours after they should have showed up. Then you leave them behind. There was plenty of time left before anyone would leave her behind. "And Sark probably got Kaylee out of the facility long before I ran into Sloane and Simon," she thought. She nodded to Simon as he started the car. "So if I didn't go to Geneva, what happened?"

"After returning to the Covenant, their suspicions of you faded slightly. But they were still there. You and I agreed that I needed to restore all of your memories and send you back to the CIA. So during our next mission, I did just that."

"We were in Hong Kong," Sydney whispered.

  
"Yeah, we were. It was so funny. The night before you were so excited about breaking the Covenant's hold on you, you started dancing around our hotel room. You ran smack into the coffee table. But you just kept dancing and chanting about how you wouldn't even remember why your knee hurt the next day."

Realization dawned on her face. "That was why my knee hurt when I woke up in that alley."

"Yeah. I snuck some of the Covenant's more sophisticated technology with us to Hong Kong. It took me over three hours but I put you pretty much back to normal. Like I said, we had decided that you couldn't remember anything about me. So I just erased your memory of being in the Covenant. But I also made sure that you would be able to regain those memories somewhere down the line."

"Thank you."

"The procedure left you unconscious. I took you to the alley behind our hotel and watched over you from a distance until I saw you wake up."

"What did you tell the Covenant?"

"I told them that you were supposed to rendezvous with me at a restaurant across town. You never showed up. I followed protocol and left you for dead. Sounds harsh, but it's the way the Covenant works. Then, you showed up in the CIA's hands again." He looked over at her. "Do you have any questions?"

"A million," she said staring out the window and watching Rome pass by. She looked back over at him. "But I'll limit it to the ones that I really want to have answered. Do you know what the scar on my stomach is from?"

"You and I almost got captured on a mission in Kenya. The only way we could convince the people holding guns to our heads was if I killed you. I won't get into details. Mainly because I don't want to relive what you made me do to you. Sometime I'll tell you the whole story when I can handle it. I stabbed you and left you for dead. You managed to drag yourself to the nearest hospital. I found you there one day later. First words out of your mouth were asking me if it was going to be a pretty scar."

"I'm sorry for making you do that, Simon," she said honestly.

"Please call me Colin. I'm not Simon Walker anymore. And I never want to be him again."

"Okay, Colin. What was your relationship with Anna Espinosa?"

"After you left the Covenant, I pretended like I was devastated. Seems I was secretly in love with you the whole time we were partners. Anna comforted me. I used her for information. She thought we were in love and she was controlling me. She thought I was weak."

"She was wrong."

"Yes, she was," Simon said with a smile. "What next?"

"In Cairo, you said we had a few great nights in Vienna. If you and I weren't sleeping together, what the hell were you talking about?"  


"I was testing you to see if you were remembering the memories of your missing two years. I said we had pent-up energy which we let out. I wanted it to sound like I meant sex. That way if you got offended, you obviously didn't know what I was talking about. If you didn't get offended, you knew what I was alluding to. We got into a few bar fights during our mission in Vienna. You always loved an after-mission brawl."

"I still do," Sydney informed him. She heard Sloane moan from his position in the back seat. "Looks like he's having a bad dream."

"He deserves it."

"Damn right." Sydney got quiet rather quickly after that comment.

"What's the matter?"

"You said to me in Cairo that I deserved the beating you were giving me. If we were so close, why did you attack me?"

"It was by your orders. You told me to do anything I needed to to keep you from finding out your memories before they came back naturally. I had your permission to do anything except kill you. You couldn't stand the idea of having wasted two years of your life for nothing."

"What was with the invitation to your gathering? You asked me to wear a black dress."

"Another test to see if you were remembering. We had a mission in Venice that you wore a black dress for. It almost got us killed."  
  
"My dress almost got us killed?"

"You got it stuck in the elevator door. Armed guards were chasing us. They were firing at us, and you got your damn dress stuck. I got shot in the arm because of your black dress."

  
"I apologize on the behalf of my black dress."

"Tell the dress I accept. To continue with my explanation of that gathering, you, your parents, and Sark weren't originally supposed to be there. I was told by the Covenant that I was to auction off your sister's location. I didn't want to see Kaylee put into harm so I did the only thing I could. I sneaked your names onto the guest list. The higher ups didn't even notice until it was too late, and they couldn't even pin it on me for sure."

"It was the only way you had to keep her safe."

"Exactly. And I didn't turn those lights off on you when you were fighting Anna. That was a few of the other operatives who were at the gathering. I would never have let Anna take Kaylee's address from me if I had thought you wouldn't stop her."

Sydney saw the CIA van about a half-mile away from them. "I have no reason to trust what you're saying to me is the truth. But I do."

"I think deep down you know that I am someone you trusted once." He pulled the car up next to the van.

"Sydney!" Vaughn yelled as he busted out of the van and saw her. "What happened?"

  
"I fought with Anna. She broke my earpiece." Seeing Vaughn look from her to where Simon was getting Sloane out of the backseat, she added, "I picked up a few friends."

Vaughn reached to pull his gun out, but Sydney placed her hand on his. "Michael Vaughn, this is Colin Meyer. He was my partner when I was with the Covenant."

  
"What are you talking about, Syd? That's Simon Walker. You hate him."

"It's a long story, but he's not really Simon Walker. He helped me get away from the Covenant twice, once two years ago and once an hour ago. And he took down Sloane and offered him to me and the CIA."

"I trust you," Vaughn said as he relaxed. "And if you say that… Colin… is okay, then I believe you."

"Where are my sister and Sark?" Sydney asked.

"You don't know?" Vaughn asked.

  
"No, I don't know. What's going on?"

"I thought they would be with you."

"They're not. Sark was supposed to get Kaylee and leave the facility. Why the hell isn't he here?"

"I don't know, but he only has about one hour to get here. If he's not here in time, we have to leave him and Kaylee behind."


	67. The Safety of His Arms

Sark looked through the small window in the door that Sydney said was supposed to be to the room that Kaylee was being held in. He couldn't see much since the window was pretty built up with dirt and grime. He could vaguely make out a bed with no mattress and a heap of clothes and blankets on the floor.

"Obviously no one has lived her in a while," he mumbled to himself. "Damnit, Syd. How could you be wrong about something so important?" However, he found himself unable to walk away from that door. He still had a lot of faith in Sydney. So much faith that he was willing to break into this room before he started going from room to room searching for her. He was willing to waste some precious time just to be sure that she was truly wrong.

The lock on the door was fairly old and looked like it was about to rust out. Sark only had to kick the door once really hard to get it to open. He stared into the room, realizing that he was right in his assessment. There was really only a pile of blankets and clothes and a mattress-less bed.

When he had kicked the door, it slammed back into the wall and flung itself half closed again. He shoved it out of his way so that he could enter the room and do a full analysis of what was inside. The door smashed against the wall again, and that's when he noticed something he had missed the first time he opened the door.

The pile of clothes and blankets jumped slightly at the loud sound of the door crashing open.

"Hello?" he said softly. Whatever was alive under there, he didn't want to startle. "Is anyone in there?"

He heard a soft moan from underneath the blanket and made his way over to where the 'pile' was laying on the floor. He gently pulled the blanket back and was startled to see that it was actually Kaylee. Sydney had been right. She was being held in this room.

Kaylee looked at him with wide eyes. She looked like she had been through hell and back. Her body was thinner than normal. The clothes she was wearing were almost completely tattered. Her hair was tangled, and her eyes had large circles underneath them. It looked as if she hadn't slept or eaten in days. Though through all the dishevelment and crazy looks, he could still see the woman he would give his life for underneath it all.

She kept staring at him with those familiar eyes, wide and innocent, as she scurried back into the corner. She desperately grasped at the floor to push herself as far away from him as she could.

"Get out of here," she screamed. She flailed her arms up over her face, trying to block him from her line of sight.

"Kaylee, I'm not leaving without you," Sark answered. He began to move towards her but was silenced when she screamed forcefully. "Would you keep it down? I don't want any armed guards barreling in on us."

"You are just a hallucination. You're not real. You're not real. You're not real. You're not real." Kaylee kept repeating those same three words as she curled in the fetal position, wrapped her arms around her bent knees, and began rocking somewhat.

"It's me, Kaylee. I am real." Sark stretched his arm out towards her. "I've come to take you home."

"No. I let myself believe you'd come for me once. You died on me then. You didn't come and save me from the CIA. You're not going to come now either. You are just a hallucination of my mind. You're not really here. Go away. I have enough to deal with already."  


"I am here, and you do need me to stay with you. Just as much as I need you to come back to me and stay with me," Sark said. He knew that he had to get the both of them out of the building rather quickly. Which was why he found himself getting frustrated with the woman he loved. "If you would just let me get close enough to touch you, you could see I was real."

"It's another one of Rambaldi's tricks. It always is. Whenever I get an ounce of happiness, something comes up from his life's work that takes it all away. That man is ruining my life from his grave."  


"Rambaldi's prophecies won't amount to anything if you refuse to let them happen. You're strong. You can take your life in whatever direction you want. Come with me now. You'll keep it from happening if you just come with me now." He held out his hand to her again.

"Who are you really?" she asked. She got up from her crouching position against the wall and slowly walked to where he was standing. Making a continuous circle around his position, she kept poking him every once in a while. Finally she came to a rest and put her hand into his outstretched one.

  
"So now you believe I'm real?" he asked. He could see that she was gaining her wits a little. The progress made him want to scream for joy. He was starting to lose faith that he had what it would take to bring her back.

  
"I believe you're real. But I can't let you take me away from here, Andrew."

"The Covenant really did a number on you."

Kaylee sighed and sat down on the mattress-less bed. "I've only been here for two weeks. In that two weeks, they've destroyed everything I know. Everything about me. They only feed me twice. The one time I feel asleep, they came in and tried to perform tests on me. I haven't slept since then. They've poked around in my head every single time I was too weak to fend them off. I don't know what they've done exactly. All I know is that it scared me to death. They've told me everything they could think of to make me crack. I don't know why they're doing all of this. All I know is I can't escape the hold they have on me. It still scares me to death a little. But knowing what is to come helps that."

"You can escape the hold they have on you," Sark said as he sat down next to her on the bed. "We escaped it once together, didn't we?"

"What we had in Newcastle never would have lasted. It didn't last. We can't get that back."

  
"We can get that back as long as you agreed to come leave this facility with me."

"We can't get it back," she said forcefully.

"Fine. If we can't get that specific moment back, then we can build a new life. A life that makes us just as happy."  


"I can't do that. If I do, the Covenant will just find me again and drag me back here. Besides, I have a job to do."

"And what job is that?" Sark really didn't want to humor the futile conversation they were having, but he honestly didn't know what else to do.

"Haven't you heard the prophecy? I'm supposed to be betrayed by everyone I know including the man I loved the most. That came true. Everyone I knew either betrayed me or got ripped out of my life."

Sark knew what she said was partially true. He had let her down at the moment she needed him the most. He would give up his whole world, even his life, to take that moment of stupidity back. As much as it hurt him, he cut her off. "Will Tippin never betrayed you."

Kaylee ignored his comment. "I'm in the downward spiral that Rambaldi predicated for the woman in the prophecy. My job is to die, Andrew. It's the only thing I was ever meant to do."

"Your mother spent her whole life trying to prove to you that that very thing wasn't true."

"I'm willing to believe that she tried. But there's no way she could succeed. I have a destiny. An unshakable fate. I can't get away from it, no matter how hard I try."

"So you're just willing to wait here until the Covenant finally kills you?"

"No," she said with a laugh that made Sark shudder. "That's the beauty of it. I don't have to wait until they're ready. That's why you're here. That's the whole point of you showing up at this moment in time."  
  
"I don't understand."

"Before you got here, I wasn't sure I had the strength to do what needed to be done. But now that you're here, I know I can do it. You taught me the true meaning of strength. It's my fate and my job. You're here to help me finish that job." With a surprisingly quick motion, Kaylee reached over and pulled out the gun that was in Sark's pocket. "You brought me the only present I've ever really needed. I just have to push the trigger and this will all be over."

Sark came back to his senses as he saw Kaylee lift the gun up to her head. He flung his hand out and knocked the gun out of her head. But not before it let out one shot.

Kaylee looked down at her body and was shocked to see no blood staining her tattered clothing. "Why did you do that?" she hissed at Sark. He was ruining everything she had spent the past two weeks dreaming up.

"Because I'm not going to let you die." Sark looked down at where the bullet had grazed his side. It wasn't bad enough that his back was in constant pain, but now he had a searing pain in his side. The pain didn't even matter to him that much. He would rather have the burden of it than see Kaylee dying before his eyes. Besides, it was a constant reminder to him that he was still alive. Pain was good.

"You are not going to let Rambaldi win," he said. "That man didn't know what havoc his predications would cause in your life when he made them hundreds of years ago. He was a good man, and I don't think he would have liked the way you wanted this whole thing to turn out."

"So you just want me to sit here and wait until the Covenant kills me?" Kaylee was confused as to what he was trying to get at. She had thought he had come here to help her end the pain, but instead he was just causing her more pain.

"No, I want you to come with me. I need you by my side, Kaylee." Sark walked over to where Kaylee was still sitting on the bed. He kneeled down in front of her.  


"No. You have my mother. You'll be fine without me." She smiled at him faintly.

"I don't want your bloody mother. I want you. Since the first day I met you, I think you've been the only thing I've ever wanted. And even before that, I think I always had the idea of you in my head. You're what I've been searching for. I just want to take you away from here and show you that we can be happy together again."

"The Covenant won't let that happen. They'll come after me."

"Let them," he said determinately. He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. "I will never let anyone hurt you if I can help it. I love you."

"And I love you. But that's not strong enough to save me."

"Then you really don't know how much I love you." Sark squeezed her hand. "I asked you once if you'd rather find the one you're meant to be with and die the next day or live without them for the next fifty years. I wanted to let you know that I would have said the same thing. I would rather die than know a life without you by my side."  


"Don't," Kaylee said as she jerked her hand back from his. "Don't make me choose between you and the fate I know is mine."

"I'm not going to make you choose." Sark grabbed her hand again. Whatever he did, he knew that it was important to keep touching her somehow. The connection between them made her sound a little more coherent and a lot less crazy. "You don't have a choice. You're coming with me if I have to drag you out of here. I will not let you surrender to death. I will not spend the rest of my life without you."

Kaylee smiled at him again. "You'll adjust. I've adjusted to the knowledge that I'm going to die. I have to die for everything to be set right."

"Screw Rambaldi and his damn prophecy!" Sark screamed as he stood up. "You're not going to die for that moronic cause." He took a deep breath and started over a little more calm. "I need you. Our son needs you."

"Our son?" Kaylee looked over at him with tears in her eyes. Sark let a smile pass onto his lips as he saw something click somewhere in her head. This was the key to convincing her to let go. "You know about Grayson?"

"Sydney told me. I had a right to know that I had a son." He smiled at her. "Kaylee, I want you and I to leave this place. I want to go back to Newcastle with you. I want to have the life back that we had there once. I want to raise our son with you, out of the CIA and the Covenant and Rambaldi's clutches. Just you, me, and our son."

"I want all of that, too." Sark's heart broke as he watch Kaylee's body wrench with sobs. "God, how I want all of that. But I don't have the strength to leave this place. It's too hard. I don't have it in me. I can't walk away from this."  


"Then, I'll carry you." Sark scooped her up into his arms. "You just rest. I'll take care of everything from now on."

Kaylee leaned her head onto Sark's shoulder and finally let herself surrender to the sleep she had been denied for days. She felt safe again for the first time in two and a half years.


	68. Missing

Sydney was sitting at her desk in the CIA offices when she came across the note. It must have been dropped there when she had been away from the desk. It had neither a stamp nor any address. Just her name written in very familiar handwriting.

All it said was "Come."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~One year earlier~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

It had broken her heart when Sark didn't show up with Kaylee that day in Rome. They had waited half of an hour past the time they had agreed on to leave. Her mother and father argued with one another for twenty minutes straight about whether leaving was the right thing to do. In the end, they decided that it was.

Vaughn held Sydney's hand the whole car drive and plane ride home to L.A. She was distraught with grief for her sister and the man she had come to realize was one of her best friends. It hurt him to see her so upset.

When they reached L.A., Sydney took her young nephew back to her house. It went unsaid that she was going to take care of him. Grayson knew her the best out of all his relatives, and Will had temporarily moved back in with Sydney. The main reason her taking Gray went unsaid was that not one person present wanted to talk about the fact that his parents were never going to be available to raise their own son.

For a week, life had gone on without much incidence or much investigation in to what had really happened. No one brought the subject up with Sydney or any of the people present that day in Rome. No one wanted to talk about it.

Sydney refused to believe that Sark and Kaylee were dead, and she was proud to tell anyone who would ask. People had begun to speculate that she was going to have a break down just like Vaughn had when she disappeared for two years.

When Sark waltzed into her house two weeks after his disappearance, she began to agree that it was possible she was losing her mind.

"You're not real," she whispered staring at him in shock.

"Everyone keeps telling me that. You. Your sister."

"Kaylee," Sydney said as she stood up and walked over to where Sark was standing. She reached her hand out cautiously to touch Sark. When she hit an actual person, she screamed.

"I told you I was real, Syd."

She finally allowed herself to believe he was real when he called her Syd. It was said in such a familiar tone that she knew she wasn't imagining things. She took in his appearance now that she knew this whole thing wasn't all in her head.

He was dressed in a pullover sweater and a pair of jeans, simple clothing that, unlike his normal attire, didn't make him stand out in a crowd. She had to admit to herself, though, that no matter what he wore, he always seemed to look good and draw attention to himself that way. Half of his face showed signs of recovering from a massive bruise. His hands were covered in gauze. "War wounds," Sydney thought. She could only assume that the hand injury was from the cut-up job she had done on both of them when they were tied back to back.

Sark smiled at her and limped his way over to the couch.

"You're still hurting," she stated.

"Pain killers help. I've never had my back cut up so badly before. And your sister bloody shot me in my side." Sydney looked at him in surprise. "I'll be okay. Listen. No one can know that I'm alive. They can't know I've come to see you. Can you promise me that?"

Sydney nodded. "Is my sister all right?"

"She will be." Sark was interrupted by a little boy running into the room. "Grayson?"

"You're my daddy," the young boy said.

Sark's mouth dropped open. Sydney believed this is the first time, ever, she had seen Sark truly astonished. "He knows who I am."

"Me and Gray here have been having a few chats while you two have been awol. I explained to him who you were and showed him a picture. Funny thing is, the little bugger said he already met you once. You, and I quote, 'are the nice man who hugged Mommy when she was crying'. Care to explain that?"

"No," Sark said to Sydney. He turned his attention back to Grayson. "Hey, little man."

"Can I see Mommy now? Aunt Sydney says that you know where she is." Grayson crawled up into Sark's lap.

"Didn't think we were dead, huh, Syd?" he said with a smirk. He wrapped his arms around his son.

"I've learned over the years that you can't be killed even if I try really, really hard. And believe me I have," Sydney said and sat down next to them. "Why are you here, Sark?"

"I wanted to let you know that Kaylee and I are all right."

"You just said that she isn't all right. You said she would be," Sydney corrected.

"Whatever the Covenant did to her, it took me two weeks to undo. She's hurting inside and out. She needs our son with her. To help her heal. That's the second reason I came here."

"How am I supposed to explain Grayson's sudden disappearance? I can't just tell the CIA that he was kidnapped and I don't really want to go after him."

"Tell the CIA that Grayson wants to live with his grandmother for a while. Make up some bullshit about how you think it's the right thing for him to do. You were always good at lying when you had to."

"My mother's just going to love that grandmother thing." She sighed. "But I'll do it."

"How is Irina these days?"

"Still flying high with her government pardon. She actually convinced the CIA to look into giving her clearance so she can become an agent. And you don't even want to see her and my father together."

"Like newlyweds?"

"I'll never understand. First he hates her. Then he loves her. Then he hates that he loves but still does. It's like a bad novel. Right now she's closing up her business dealings in Paris while my father works on getting her that clearance. She'll be there for a few months. I'll let her know that she's supposed to have Gray with her."

"Thank you, Sydney." Sark stood up with Grayson in his arms. "Are you ready to go home, little man?"

  
"Is Mommy there?"  


"Yes, she is."

"Then let's go!" Grayson giggled as Sark tickled his stomach and threw him over his shoulder.

Sydney stood up next to Sark and touched his cheek lightly. "You're going to be a great father."

He smiled at her. "We can't stay in contact with you, you know that. But we won't be missing forever."

"I'm sure I'll hear from you again someday."

Sark smirked one last time and walked out of the front door with Grayson in his arms waving goodbye to his aunt.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~Present Day~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Sydney looked over at the man sitting next to her on the plane. She watched as he fidgeted with the ring that was on his left hand. A giggle escaped her mouth.

"What?" Vaughn asked her.  
  
"I was just remembering how much I hated that nervous habit of yours when you were married to Lauren. But now…"

"Now that you're the one I'm married to, you find it kind of cute, right?"

"I find everything you do cute," she admitted.

Vaughn stared out at the ocean the plane was flying over. "Now can you tell me why we both had to request off a week and fly to Australia?"

Sydney reached into a bag and pulled out a pen. She twisted it. "I got a note from Kaylee. The only word it said was come. She needs us for some reason. I'm not going to be the one to refuse her."  
  
"Is this a happy situation or a dangerous situation?"

"I honestly don't know."


	69. I'd Rather Love

Sydney and Vaughn had gotten directions on how to get to Newcastle from Sydney from her father. He had been very confident that her sister and Sark would be staying as close to their old home as possible. Sydney couldn't help by admire the landscape as they were driving through the city. Nothing in her life had ever seen as tranquil as this was.

Vaughn looked over at his wife with a worried face. "Are you all right, Sydney?"

  
"I can't help but be jealous. This place is so beautiful. Kaylee and Sark get to have such a peaceful life now. No missions. No imminent death. No guns. No bombs. Just perfection."

"You're forgetting that they're here to hide out from every government and terrorist organization. They have to stay in relative hiding for the rest of their lives just so no one gets their hands on their son. That doesn't sound like perfection to me."  


"Pessimist," Sydney growled lovingly at him. She suddenly got serious and turned to look at him. "I really love you, you know that."

"Yeah, I do. What caused that little outburst of love? " he asked with concern.

"I was just thinking about how horrible my life would be if you weren't in it."

Vaughn sighed and looked at his wife. "I know the five years we spent apart almost killed you. I'll keep apologizing that for the rest of our lives."

"It wasn't your fault, and you know it. Our country has always been the top priority in both of our lives. We accepted that when we took our jobs at the CIA."

"It's not my top priority anymore," Vaughn said candidly. "Not since the day Weiss decided to profess his undying love for you."

Sydney began to laugh and cry hysterically. When she calmed down, she looked over at him. "I had forgotten all about that."

"I don't see how you could. That was the whole reason we ended up getting married that night."

Sydney smiled at him and began to stare at the passing scenery again. In no time, she found herself drifting off to sleep and dreaming of the events that led up to her wedding.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

It had all started rather innocently. Dixon assigned the three of them to an easy assignment in Las Vegas. It was a simple snatch and grab job, nothing that Sydney, Vaughn, and Weiss hadn't done successfully a million times. The objective was a new computer program that was created to locate the position of hidden weapons of mass destruction and about fifty thousand dollars in cash.

The mission went off without a hitch, and the trio found themselves in Vegas with some extra money. It turned out the price to purchase the computer program had gone up without the US government being any wiser.

To this day, Sydney can't recall why they let Weiss talk them into gambling with the extra ten thousand dollars instead of turning it in with the rest of the cash. But that's what they did.

Four hours into their little gambling spree, Sydney has managed to increase the money they had by two thousand dollars, Vaughn had successfully kept all the middle-aged men from pawing his fiancee, and Weiss had gotten pretty close to being completely drunk.

Eventually, they called it a night. On the way up to the suites the CIA had booked for them at the Bellagio was when Weiss confessed.

"You know, Syd, when you first joined the CIA, I really never would have guessed you would fall in love with Vaughn here. You two fought like cats and dogs."

Vaughn chuckled. "That's because I couldn't convince this newcomer to the agency to settle down and follow the rules."  


"And then I convinced this law abiding government employee to break ever rule numerous times." Sydney gave him a light kiss on the top of his nose.

"Enough with the grossness," Weiss slurred. "What I was trying to say is that I really had a huge crush on you when you first came to the CIA and I honestly thought I had a chance with you."

"No way!" Sydney exclaimed. She never guessed that Weiss had thought of her in that way.

The trio reached the door to Weiss's hotel room. Vaughn dug the room key out of Weiss's pocket, opened the door, and went inside. Sydney would have followed him, but Weiss grabbed her arm.

"Listen, Syd. I don't think Michael there is really serious about marrying you."

"What?!? Why do you say that?"  
  
"Well, wouldn't he have done it already?" Weiss asked.

"We've discussed it. It's not the right time."

"With your guys' lives, it'll never be the right time."

"Are you coming?" Vaughn called from inside the room.

"In a minute," Sydney answered. "What's your point, Weiss?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I love you, Sydney, and I'd be happy to marry you tonight."

Sydney laughed. She knew that her friend was rather drunk and probably would regret every single thing he had sad in the morning. "I'll keep that in mind. Let's go inside."

Weiss stumbled into the room with a little help from Sydney, and she swiftly deposited him on the bed.

"We're going to go to our room now, Weiss," Sydney said as she stared at the moaning lump he had become on the bed. It looked like the alcohol was wearing off already.

"Keep my proposition in mind," Weiss called out just as Vaughn shut the room door.

"What was he talking about?"

"Weiss offered to marry me tonight," Sydney said nonchalantly.

"I don't believe it."

"It turns out he really doesn't think you're serious about marrying me. He wanted to give me a back-up plan."

"I am serious about wanting to be your husband, Syd. We both know there just hasn't been time to get married. At least not now."

"I know." Sydney put her hand on his arm to stop him in the middle of the hall. "There's time now."

"You want to get married now?" He shook his head in shock. This was not like her.

"Why not? We're in Vegas. We have a little spare time. Let's just pop down to one of those drive-thru wedding chapels and get hitched, Michael Vaughn!"

"You're serious, aren't you?"

Sydney smiled at him. "We can get married right now just to make it official. Then, when things slow down, we'll have a nice ceremony with our friends and family."

Vaughn realized that he probably couldn't talk his way out of this one and began to quickly search his mind to come up with a solution to the predicament Sydney had just introduced. "I don't want to rush into this."

"So you don't want to marry me?" Sydney asked. She was starting to get mad at him, and a voice in the back of her head was starting to suggest that maybe Weiss had been right.

"Let's just sleep on it tonight. We can get married in the morning if we're both still sure that we want to. It'll make me feel better if I know you've thought it out a little more."

The anger Sydney had begun to feel melted away as she realized that Vaughn was just trying to be considerate. "Deal. I'll think about it tonight. But believe me, no matter what, I'm taking you to the altar tomorrow."

They began to walk the rest of the way to their hotel room. When they reached the door, Sydney heard Vaughn softly curse. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"I forgot some of our equipment by the blackjack tables. I'm going to go grab it, and then check in with Dixon. Let him know the mission was a success. I'll be back in half of an hour."

Vaughn was gone before Sydney could object or offer help.

She waited up for two hours but finally decided to go to bed when he still hadn't come back. She had no idea what could have been keeping him.

In the morning, she woke up to feel the familiar weight of his body lying next to her. Like always, he had been staring at her sleeping.

"What kept you last night?" she asked.

"There was a small glitch with our mission. I worked it out on the phone with Marshall. No big deal." He paused and looked at her intently. "Do you still want to get married?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Good. You have an hour to get ready." He nodded towards the closet.

She noticed an unfamiliar garment bag hanging on their closet. "What is that?"

"That would be your wedding dress. I didn't want you to have to get married in that slinky dress you wore for the mission last night."

She smiled at him and ran over to open the bag. When she turned back, he was at the door.

"Be downstairs in that dress in an hour." He winked at her. "I have a lot more surprises for you."

And he did. Somehow, in the few hours he had been gone from her the night before, he had arranged an outdoor location for their wedding, a minister, and even an eight-piece string orchestra.

But, most important of all, he arranged to fly in every single person that Sydney cared about. Including her father who finally got his chance to walk his little girl down the aisle.

It was perfect except for the absence of her sister and the man she had come to trust almost as much as she trusted Vaughn. And she was slightly saddened to realize that little Grayson wouldn't be present to carry the rings down the aisle for her.

Other than those three absent people, it was the wedding of her dreams, the one she had always hoped for but never told anyone she wanted. And that was the moment that she knew she had found her soul mate. He had known exactly what she wanted without her having to tell him.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

When Sydney woke up from her nap, she wasn't surprised to see Vaughn smiling at her as he continued to drive. "What are you smiling about?"

"You were muttering something about loving me and finally finding the one," he said with a smile. "And you said don't frost the pie again. You're going to have to explain to me what that exactly means one of these days."

They drove on for a few more minutes in comfortable silence until she suddenly screamed for him to stop the car. He hit the brake hard, and they skidded to a stop.

"What's wrong?"

"I saw a woman up on those cliffs," Sydney said as she got out of the car and started climbing up to where she thought she saw a woman. Vaughn sighed, got out of the car, and followed her.

"You have us climbing up the backside of a cliff because you think you saw a woman?"

"Not just any woman. She looked like Kaylee."

"What are the odds that you would actually spy your sister standing on a cliff from the road we were driving on?" Vaughn asked as they reached the top of the cliff. Sydney and he stopped suddenly.

"Pretty damn good," Kaylee said as she walked up to them.

Sydney ran into her sister's arms and hugged her tightly. The tears started flowing, and Sydney was pretty sure this time she wasn't going to be able to get them to stop.

"Don't cry on my dress, please," Kaylee joked even though she was crying just as hard as Sydney.

"Your dress!" Sydney shrieked as she took a good look at it. It was a beautiful, flowing white dress that looked like it only had one purpose. "Are you getting married?"  


"That's why you're here. I'm glad to see you brought Michael along with you." Kaylee paused to give Vaughn a hug. As she was hugging him, she whispered in his ear. "Thank you for taking care of my sister. I don't worry when I know you're with her."

Kaylee let go of her hold on Vaughn and turned back to her sister. "I'm sorry that I couldn't come to your wedding when Michael called us. Both Andrew and I really wanted to. But we thought that Grayson might call a little too much attention to us at that moment. And attention isn't really good in our current situation."

"We understood," Vaughn said as he put his arm around his sister-in-law. "So where's the groom?"

"Oh, around somewhere playing with Gray. I swear, I cannot keep those two away from each other for more than thirty seconds. Lately, I've been waking up in the middle of the night to find him missing from my side. He keeps going into Gray's room and just watching him sleep. I never realized how much he would thrive on being a father."

"Me, either," Vaughn admitted. "But it's good to see you happy."

Kaylee put her hand into her sister's. "Let's go. I don't want to be late for my own wedding."

As they started walking across the cliffs, Sydney asked, "So is it going to be just the five of us?"

"No, not really. I didn't want anyone to miss my big day. So I used my spy mind and a few tricks I picked up from your husband to make it happen. The last thing I heard our Dad say to us is that I could do anything if I set my mind to it. And you can ask Sark, this is something I most definitely set my mind to."

Kaylee dropped Sydney's hand when they came over the horizon. Both Sydney and Vaughn's mouths dropped in shock.

The scene they were looking at appeared as if it was taken straight from a canvas of a famous painting. The waves of the ocean could be seen crashing in to cliffs below, and the spray from it, the smell, the taste, was in the air all around them. There were chairs set up everywhere, and so many people were present.

Sydney pointed out her mother and father who were holding hands and sitting in the front row. She saw Grayson trying to wrestle with his father while Sark was yelling something at him about Kaylee getting mad if he dirtied his tuxedo. She never thought she'd live to see the day that Sark didn't seem to care about his attire above all else. Her mouth dropped again when she saw Will come over and take Grayson off of Sark's hands. It was even more surprising that the two were talking as if they were friends.

"Welcome to my wedding. I arranged for hell to freeze over so we could have it." Kaylee winked at them. "Now go mingle. I need to stay out of sight so that Andrew doesn't see me. Tell Dad that I'll be ready in about ten minutes."

Sydney hugged her sister quickly one more time and watched as she walked back down the way they had come from. Vaughn squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Marshall is here. I'm going to go talk with him. Maybe he has an idea of how your sister pulled this whole crazy thing off."

She smiled at him and nodded. This whole situation had thrown her mind into a daze. She couldn't comprehend that she was actually in Australia seeing her sister get married to the one man she thought she would despise for her whole life, Arvin Sloane excluded, and all of the people closest to her were there, too. Tears came to her eyes.

She heard a voice with a faint Irish accent call her name from behind her.

"Walker?" she said turning around.

"I thought I told you to call me Colin, Bristow," he said with a cocky grin.

She laughed and gave him a large hug. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Haven't you heard? I'm a popular man. If you have me present at your fine gatherings, then you've really made it."

She smacked him in the arm. "Seriously! I haven't heard one word from you since we returned to the CIA that day one year ago. For all I knew, you were still being held at one of the CIA's secret detention facilities for verification."

Colin Meyer laughed. "No, the CIA actually only held me for two days. They verified my story with MI-6. That verification led to an investigation of the Oceana Division. To make a long story a little shorter, they found out that most of what Oceana had ordered me to do wasn't authorized and in fact went against most of what the agency stood for."

"At least MI-6 didn't ask you to keep up the ruse and become a double agent," Sydney said with a smirk. "Because I've been there and it's really not a fun place to be."

"Anyway, MI-6 saw my actions in a positive light. They said that I was one of the best agents they've seen in years. They offered to let me stay on with them as an agent. I turned them down."

"Why?"

"Because I've grown tired of the spy game. I don't want to have to worry about whether or not I've gotten mixed up in actions that are unethical or go against what the government really wants. So I walked."

"Where did you go?"

"I used a few personal contacts I had acquired while under my Simon Walker alias to locate your sister and Sark. They were in Tuscany. I offered my services."

"Offered your services? What are you, a male prostitute?"

"Something of the sort." He chuckled as he saw Sydney's jaw drop. "I'm kidding. Sark and your sister have both built up two pretty sizeable next eggs. We came to an agreement. They pay me to keep them from being noticed while they're in hiding. I was responsible for finding the right place for them to make a home."

"How did you know about Newcastle? I assume that you were the one who found them their home here since you said that was your job."

"It was Will."

"You talked with Will?"

"Kaylee was worried about him. She wanted to know that he was all right. She wanted me to tell him that she was all right. I explained who I was and what I was supposed to do. He told me to start looking in Newcastle."  


Sydney looked over to where Will was seated with Grayson in his lap. "He is an amazing man. I wish I could find someone to make him as happy as he deserves to be."

"I have a sister," Simon suggested.

Sydney smiled at him. She watched her husband walk over to her father and whisper something. "We should sit down. I think the ceremony is about to start."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 

Sark stared down the aisle at what he could only describe as the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. And probably the most ironic. Jack Bristow was leading his youngest daughter down the aisle with the intent of handing her over willingly to a man he had once said was the last man he would want to be a part of his family.

This day was not about Jack Bristow and his feelings. It was about Kaylee. Like everything in Sark's life for the past four years, it was about Kaylee.

As she walked to him arm in arm with her father, their eyes never left each other's. When she reached his side and Jack had taken his seat, she reached up and touched his cheek gently wiping a tear from his eye.

"I love you," he mouthed silently.

"I know."

The priest standing in front of them began the ceremony. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered her on this day to unite two people in the bonds of holy matrimony. Kaylee and Andrew have worked very hard and very long to make it to this day. This ceremony will be brief so that they can begin their life together as man and wife as soon as possible. Love shouldn't be required to wait."

Sydney smiled and squeezed Vaughn's hand lightly.

"We start this beautiful day with the exchange of vows." He held his hand out towards the bride. "Kaylee?"

She nodded at the priest then turned to smile at Sark as she slipped her hands into his. "I'll start with saying I can't believe we're actually here. I remember the exact moment when we met. Your first words to me were 'Um, hello…" and I was laying on the floor in a towel recovering from running right smack into you." She smiled to herself. "That was back when you still thought I was Sydney. Lucky for me, we got over that. Probably the first time in history that the person was actually relieved that they weren't falling in love with Sydney. Usually people aspire for that. The only problem, then, was there was still the issue of my being my mother's daughter."

She paused and looked out at all the people present. "I love this man with all my heart. The first moment I saw him, I knew that I had to have him in my life. As you all know I come from a very determined line of women, so when I decided I wanted him, there was nothing that could stop me. And nothing did." She squeezed Sark's hand. "You and I, we made it through off-the-wall prophecies, a few hidden months, thinking that you was going to betray me at any moment, your death, my disappearance, grief at different assorted moments. And then finally, I lost my mind. And you, you brought me back. You always said you would be there when I need you. And I always believed you. And you were there at all the moments when I needed you the most. You are my lifeline. You are my salvation. But most importantly, you are the father of the most important part of my world."

"Me!" Grayson screamed from Will's lap. Will looked around sheepishly as all eyes glared at him.

"I can't even sum up in words how much I want and need you. If you were not here with me, if you had not been with me through…" She paused to wipe a tear from her eye. "You are the thing that keeps me going. You are what makes me get up in the morning and what makes me unafraid to fall asleep at night. My shelter, my love, my life."

Sark smiled at her and whispered, "I wish I were allowed to kiss you."

"Against the rules," she said shaking her finger.

"Andrew?" the priest said motioning for Sark to begin.

"I recall the moment when I first realized that I was falling in love with you. We had escaped from some agency or another that had kidnapped us. There's too many for me to keep track of." Sark smirked at his soon-to-be wife. "You took me back to your house in Paris, and I asked you the most important question of my life besides the whole proposal. I asked if your would rather find the one you're meant to be with and die the next day or live without them for the next fifty years."

Sark turned to the people gathered. "Do you know what she said to me? 'I'd rather love and love well then spend my life knowing what I could have had'." He faced Kaylee and looked in her eyes. His trademark smirk was nowhere to be found on his solemn face. "That one phrase defines our whole relationship. You're a person who shows love to the fullest and would rather die than not know that feeling. Because of you, I've become the same way."

Sark took a deep breath. "I've done some things in the past that I'm not proud of. You're the first woman I ever met who knew so much about me including my mistakes. You were the strongest, most brave person I'd ever met. You took a chance on a cold-blooded killer whom you saw a little bit of good in. You stuck by your instincts and defended me to everyone you held dear. You take me as I am, even when though no one understood. You still loved me through it all. That amazed me and scared me. It still does. I didn't want to lose you now that I had found you. Because of that very thing, I did lose you. And it ruined my life. But we found each other again."

Kaylee smiled at him. "I admit that before I met you, I was an extremely cocky, self-assured person. So much that I thought that I knew everything and I was everything I needed to be. I was wrong." He put his hand up to her cheek and rubbed it lightly. "I was nothing. I know that now. Without you in my life, I am nothing. I would rather die now than learn to live without you. I know now that is all I need. You're all I see. And I never want that to change."

"If you ever get lost again, I promise I will find you no matter how long it takes or how hard it gets. I will dedicate my life to making sure that you're never afraid of anything again. You've given me everything." His eyes scanned the crowd and rested on the face of his son. "And then some. Thank you."

The priest gave everyone present a moment to collect themselves and then continued on with the ceremony. "Andrew, do you take Kaylee to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?"

"I do," Sark said. He squeezed Kaylee's hands lightly.

"Kaylee, do you take Andrew to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?"

"I do with all my heart," she said. Sydney was delighted to see that her sister was practically beaming.

"And now let us exchange the rings."

Sark walked over to where Grayson was sitting. "Are you ready for your moment, little man?"

Grayson nodded and hopped off of Will's lap. He slipped his little hand into his father's and Sark led him up to the altar. Grayson fished two rings out of his pocket and handed them to his father.

Sark smiled at his son and motioned for him to go back to Will. "Did I do good?" Grayson whispered when he was seated on Will's lap again.  
  
"You were perfect, Gray," Will answered. He returned his attention back to the altar where Sark was slipping a ring on Kaylee's finger.

"I, Andrew, take thee, Kaylee, to be my wife- to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you forevermore."

Kaylee had finally stopped the tears that Sark had made her shed with his vows. She didn't really care that he was making her cry again.

"I, Kaylee, take thee, Andrew, to be my husband- to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you forevermore."

Andrew and Kaylee, you two have promised your love for each other by these vows and the giving of these rings. We can see that your love surpasses words, actions, and this moment. May you find your place together in life and share your joy with those around you. I'm happy to now declare you, officially, husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Sark smiled at Kaylee and placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips.

"We're going to be all right, aren't we?" Kaylee asked her new husband.

"Yes, I think we will be." Sark looked around at everyone present. "I think we will be."

Sark and Kaylee walked down the aisle together. When they got to the point where they were supposed to stop to let people come and congratulate them, Sark pulled Kaylee's hand to keep her walking.

"I want to have a minute alone with you," he whispered in her ear.

They walked along the edge of the cliffs until their wedding party was just a group of distant figures. Kaylee rested herself into his arms and just stayed silent for a moment, taking it all in. "There was a point where I thought this would never happen. When you died, I thought that I would never be happy again."

"But you are…? Happy?"

"I've never been happier."

Sark looked down at his wife. "It's not too late to back out. If you don't resign yourself to a life of hiding… if you don't want to settle…"

"Settle?" Kaylee was appalled. "I don't think anyone's ever 'settled' for you in their life. You're a prime catch!"

"Seriously," Sark said.

Kaylee was actually surprised to see his face was full of worry. "You're not kidding, are you? You're serious! I can't believe you're trying to pick a fight with me on our wedding day, Andrew Ian Sark! I never want you to think I'm settling for you. I meant everything I said to you. You are my world, and I wouldn't trade my time with you for anything." Kaylee looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I have never loved anyone as much as I love you."

"I'm sorry," Sark said. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay. You're going to upset me a lot in our life together, you stupid bastard!"

He laughed and pulled her tighter to him. "I'm never going to let you go. You know that, right?"

"I'm counting on it." Kaylee touched the corner of his mouth. "You know I always loved that little corner of your mouth where your smirk starts. It's so cute, yet sexy at the same time."

  
Sark smirked for her benefit and began to laugh again. "Let's go. We have lots of guests who are desperate to tell you that you've made a huge mistake and married a murderer."

"I can handle them. As long as you're with me, I can handle them." Kaylee slipped her hand into his, and together they began to walk back down to where all their family and friends were waiting.


End file.
